The Quest for Truth and Ideals
by Scuttlest
Summary: It started with just three Pokemon delivered to his door, and grew into an adventure greater then he could have possible imagined. With friends by his side he marches onward to whatever life may have in store for him. Pokemon White/Black.
1. The Professor's Gift

**Might be an odd time to be writing about anything related to Pokemon Black/White, given Black 2/White 2's recent release (playing it myself right now) but I felt the urge to try this.**

**Anyway, this is experimental, a first chapter to test how I might feel about this. I may or may not continue this and write a full fic that is basically a novelization of the first Black/White game. I'll employ some creative liberties with the story, of course. Nothing fundemental would be changed, but I'd add my own spin to it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Unova sunrises were said to be the most beautiful sunrises of any region. One might argue that the claim was filled with positive bias, spoken by the Unova people who had too much pride in their land. Yet, as the sun rose, the claim was hard to argue against. The rays of light came, chasing away the darkness that had hitherto blanketed the region.

The Pokemon of the region roused. Some woke more ungracefully then others. The morning, like most, was dominated by the chirping of the birds. Pidoves flew freely, some not far from a mother Unfezant. Patrat's scampered through the grass, stopping occasionally to sniff the air before darting off in some other direction. Occasionally their curiosity was rewarded with a juicy fruit fallen from some tree.

The water rippled with the movements of the fish beneath. Basculins swam in small schools close to the water's surface. Some occasionally poking up above the water. As long as Basculins of two different stripes didn't meet, they were surprisingly peaceful to watch.

The beauty of the morning was perhaps most easily seen in Nuvema Town, in the south eastern corner of Unova. In the civilized, urbanized land of Unova, Nuvema was a quiet and calm town. The less tactful might have called it backwater. Some of the people here had big aspirations, no doubt, but overall it was an uneventful place, and the older citizens of Nuvema took pride in that.

Nuvema was known to be peaceful and quiet, but among the people who lived there, there was a more famous trait of the town. Ask any of them what that trait was, and they'd smile before mentioning the boy who was quite possibly the boy who loved sleeping in more then anyone else in history.

The boy in question was still ever so fondly asleep in his bed as the morning sun was beginning its timeless journey up and higher into the sky. He turned in his covers, letting his head sink into the pillow. The lights were still off. His hat was hanging on his bedpost, his usual clothes were on some nearby racks.

A fan spun quickly on the ceiling. The shelves were lined with books, but if one thought that the boy was the studious sort, that would be a horrifically inaccurate assumption. The occupant rarely read them, he just seemed to keep them.

The door slowly creaked open. An older woman slowly walked in, her movement reminiscent of a prowler. She was clearly no thief, but simply someone who knew that this room's occupant loved little more then his beauty sleep. The wooden floor creaked in protest as her feet came down on it, but it was far from something loud enough to wake the boy. Reaching a table not far from the bed, she placed a box on it.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to look at the bed and smiled at the notoriously slow riser. He was known for sleeping so deeply that he tended to fall into near comas, but she still didn't risk walking over to the bed to ruffle his hair. Instead, she simply exited the room as quietly as she could.

* * *

Outside, some people were already awake and about. One of them was a studious and serious boy named Cheren. He was stern to a fault and took competition very seriously. He prided himself on his punctuality and demanded it in others, and so he began to tap his foot impatiently as two certain some bodies did not show up on the agreed upon time.

The minutes crept by with a malicious slowness. Cheren sighed and adjusted his glasses. He should have just given up and left, but he would not ever, ever risk anyone asking him 'Where were you?' when he wasn't the one who was late, and so he stayed.

"Sorry we're late!" A female voice finally, mercifully sounded. Cheren turned, and rather then smile and burst into enthusiasm at the fact that his wait was over, his eyes narrowed at the sight of two familiar girls.

"Just because I've known you for years doesn't mean I find this cute, Hilda." Cheren said coolly. He had addressed a girl, with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a hat and a sleeveless outfit, and who seemed to have no issue walking around with some exceptionally short… shorts.

"Not my fault I'm late. Someone-" Hilda elbowed the other girl in the hip. "-used every trick in the book to try and get out of leaving with me."

The second girl rubbed at the hip that had just been poked by a good friend's elbow. "I just… wanted to take it at my own pace."

Cheren looked at the second girl, her name was Bianca. She was the effective opposite of Cheren. She was slow-witted, overly friendly, and, put in nicest terms, an airhead and a scatterbrain. Yet something about her seemed to attract others to look past her faults and help her along.

"I'd ask where the last of our little group is, but it's obvious where _he_ is." Cheren sighed then turned his gaze to a house, the house that belonged to the boy with a mythical ability to sleep-in.

The door to the house opened. Out stepped the older woman who had left a box in the boy's room. She passed by the three teens and smiled. "I left him a present, but I think you'll _all_ like it."

She, that is, Professor Juniper, one of the world's leading authorities on Pokemon research, walked past them. The three teens exchanged glances then all nodded and began moving toward the house.

* * *

"Oh, Hilbert's friends." A woman inside the house looked away from the kitchen counter as she noticed the arrival of the three teens. She tacitly didn't mention that they had forgotten to knock before opening the front door. Her son's friends were good example setters, the occasional slip-up didn't bother her.

"Hello Mrs., um…" Bianca struggled to recall a name, "Mrs. Hilbert's mom." The woman in the kitchen looked ready to either start laughing or flash an indignant expression. Bianca was a natural when it came to forgetting things.

"We heard he had been given a gift by the Professor." Hilda quickly explained why they were here. "We were told we'd all like the gift. Can we see him?"

"Sure. He's in his room." She turned back to the counter, still in the process of cooking food. "Good luck waking him up. I'm the only one who knows better then you three how much of a struggle that is."

"Oh. We'll find a way." Cheren said, his tone of voice made it seem as though he had just accepted a challenge. "Thank you for letting us see him." The three turned and began to head for the stairs.

"_Where_ did that boy get that urge to sleep from?" She wondered aloud as she began to chop a carrot up. "Had to have been from his father. He only got good things from _my_ side of the family."

"Here we go again." Hilda muttered, looking at the sleeping Hilbert. She immediately grabbed the covers and yanked them off the bed, revealing the boy, still in his pajamas. He didn't look discomforted at all at the lose of the covers, and continued to snore.

The two girls made various attempts at waking their friend, everything from playing music from the computer at max volume to trying to yell in his ear. Hilda grabbed a megaphone that was lying on the computer desk in the room and was prepared to try and scream into it, but was stopped by Cheren's hand on her shoulder.

"That won't work." Cheren said impassively. "But I do know a surefire way to get him up. Let's leave the room for a moment." Hilda and Bianca looked at each other, Hilda shrugged her shoulders and they both followed Cheren out of the room.

"I need to get something from my house. Give me a minute." Cheren walked off, leaving Hilda and Bianca alone in the upstairs hall. They waited, and before either could truly start to get worried, Cheren was back, holding a very large box in his arms.

"What…?" Bianca tilted her head curiously at what Cheren had.

"My ace in the hole." Cheren spoke with a tone that made it clear that he knew exactly what he was doing. He made a glance at both Hilda and Bianca, wordlessly assuring them that whatever he was planning on doing was going to net results before he entered Hilbert's room.

Hilda raised an eyebrow, wondering what was happening. Cheren suddenly poked his head out of the doorway.

"I'd explain this, but it's _extremely_ technical." He ducked back into Hilbert's room. Bianca and Hilda were left to themselves, and after a few short minutes a boyish scream pierced the air.

Downstairs, Hilbert's mother turned away from the stew she was stirring and looked up to where the unexpected noise came from. She suddenly wondered if letting Hilbert's friends try to wake him up was the best idea.

"Okay Cheren, okay!" Hilbert was on the floor, his hand over his chest, his heart beating so fast that it wasn't unfeasible that it might explode. "I'm up. _I'm up_!"

"If you got up at the same time everyone else did, I wouldn't have to resort to extremes."

Hilbert scrambled to his bare feet, breathing hard. He turned to see Hilda and Bianca entering.

"What did you do to him?" Bianca asked, looking at how rattled Hilbert was, and beginning to bridle on his behalf.

"I woke him up." Cheren responded with an utterly neutral tone as the just woken up friend began to stand up. "Hilbert, put on some clothes, please."

Hilbert looked down at himself, still wearing his dark blue sleep clothes. He looked at those present, then at his clothes hanging around the room. "Um… can you at least… turn around?"

The two girls smirked, Cheren sighed. "It's not like it's something I'd want to see. Yes, we'll turn around. Hurry up." The three turned their backs to Hilbert as he stripped himself of his pajamas and started to put on his regular clothes.

"No peeking, Cheren." Bianca teased as she kept her eyes focused on the wall. Cheren twitched in annoyance.

"All my friends are depressing." Cheren stated as he shook his head. Then he grunted and nearly fell over as Hilda punched him, hard, in his hip.

Hilbert turned to the bedpost and grabbed his favorite hat. "Done. You can turn back around." The three looked at their friend as he was adjusting his hat. He didn't look like someone who was so infamously hard to wake when he was alert and dressed. "Was there a particular reason you guys came?"

"The Professor left you a present." Hilda said, pointing to a table in the room. Hilbert looked to the side and saw the box. His eyes brightened and he walked over to it. The first thing he noticed was the small handwritten note. He picked it up and scanned left to right, taking in every letter.

"What's it say?" Cheren questioned. He received no immediate answer, and then Hilbert put the note down and started to open the box.

"The Professor has three Pokeballs in the box. I, I mean, _we_… can have the Pokemon in them."

Bianca gaped, then grinned at the prospect, immediately zipping over to Hilbert's side and waiting eagerly for him to open the box. She had been asking her parents for a long time now about having her own Pokemon, but they, especially her dad, were always quick to change the subject.

"Three Pokemon… for four of us." Cheren lightly closed his eyes and sighed. "And how do we settle who doesn't get one?"

"I… um…" Hilda looked uncomfortable for a moment, then spoke. "I'll skip out. I don't really want a pet, and I'm not interested in being a trainer. I wouldn't want to see my Pokemon get hurt."

That quickly solved the issue of who would be getting the shaft. Hilbert opened the box and saw the three Pokeballs, each having a note by them.

"Just hope there's not a Ghost-type." Hilbert said with a suddenly hesitant voice. Hilda tried, and failed, to keep herself from snickering. Hilbert had a known phobia with Ghost Pokemon. He read all the notes and breathed a sigh of relief. "A Grass, a Fire, and a Water type."

Cheren stepped forward, bringing a hand up to his chin and beginning to stroke it, he looked ready to try and grab one of the balls, but Bianca grabbed his shoulder.

"It's Hilbert's present. He gets first pick."

Cheren felt annoyance tug unmistakably at him, but didn't argue. Hilbert looked at the three balls, then smiled. He reached down and grabbed the one that had the Grass type contained within.

"My turn!" Bianca spoke up enthusiastically, she looked down at the balls, her eyes filled with exuberance.

"Who said you could pick next?" Cheren suddenly protested. He turned to the friend who had received the gift. "Hilbert, she doesn't deserve to just decide that she can pick before me like this. Let her and I… play some game of chance, let the winner get the second pick."

Hilbert looked back at Cheren, then turned to Bianca. "Go ahead."

Cheren's eyes narrowed indignantly, but Bianca smiled a thanks. She looked at what remained, and chose the ball that had the Water type contained within.

"Really?" Cheren walked up, biting back the sigh he wanted to give. "Fine by me. I wanted the Fire type in the first place." The statement was brutally honest, though it sounded more like he was trying to save face. He grabbed the only remaining Pokeball in the box and quietly examined it. He was touched by curiosity to see the Pokemon within, but didn't think this was the appropriate place.

He glanced at Hilbert, then noticed Bianca had raised her Pokeball over her head. Before he could say anything, such as the fact that this shouldn't be done in Hilbert's room, she had thrown it. The ball snapped open in the air and released the Pokemon contained inside. The sound caught Hilbert and Hilda by surprise, and all four of them stared as a small white creature appeared on the ground.

"Osha…" The creature spoke. It looked around, then took a nervous step back as it noticed four comparatively tall creatures staring at it. One of them stepped forward and picked up the thing before it could dare to scamper away.

"It's just adorable!" Bianca held her Pokemon in her arms. It fidgeted and squirmed in panic for a moment, but began to calm down as Bianca's hand moved gently across the top of its head.

"Wott. Osha… wott." The little Water-type got out of Bianca's arms and scampered up to her shoulder. Seemingly already comfortable with her, it put its arms on the girl's cheek. She giggled and stood up straight to keep it from falling down.

Cheren offered one of his rare smiles at the sight. Then turned to Hilbert. Seeing as he didn't seem to have any objections to this happening in his room, he decided to go along with it. "You next."

Hilbert grinned, then tossed his Pokeball, in moments a small green creature materialized on the floor of his room. Immediately it cocked its head from left to right, then stretched its neck to relax itself.

"Sniv." It said coolly. In contrast to Bianca's Water-type, this Pokemon was calm in the face of the eyes studying it. Eventually, Hilbert crouched down and extended his hand invitingly. The Grass type moved forward with a mix of confidence and awareness. It sniffed Hilbert's hand, then fearlessly jumping on the hand and crawled up to Hilbert's shoulder before scaling his head and perching on the hat.

"Adventurous, isn't he?" Hilda chuckled. She reached a hand up and patted the little Grass type on the head. The green Pokemon turned to the girl and nodded, almost like it was giving the girl royal permission to continue.

"What are they called?" Hilbert wondered aloud. He looked at what was standing on Bianca's shoulder. The blonde looked at the Grass type on Hilbert's head and shrugged.

"Don't you pay attention in Biology class?" Cheren asked in annoyance. "Bianca, you have an Oshuwott on your shoulder. Hilbert, that's a Snivy. As for this…" He raised the Pokeball he was holding and tossed it. A red and black Pokemon came into view. "…is a Tepig."

"Tep!" The Tepig sounded cheerfully, immediately running up to Cheren and rubbing affectionately against his leg. Cheren sighed, lowering himself and placing a hand on the Tepig's head.

"Yes. I like you too." Cheren said honestly. He looked at his friends. "Now that we have our Pokemon, what's the first thing to do with them?"

A moment of silence crept in. The Pokemon seemed to be enjoying what they were doing as the humans were brainstorming. Then a light-bulb turned on in Bianca's head.

"Let's have a Pokemon battle!" She exclaimed. Everyone gave her a look. She turned to specifically address the two boys. "Come on, you two have talked about being Trainers before. It had to have been on your mind the moment we learned what was in the box."

Hilbert was ready to try and deny that, but no rebuttal came to him and he sighed. "You called it, Bianca."

"We can't fight in Hilbert's room." Cheren said. "This place will become a disaster zone if we did. Let's fight outside the house."

"Oh, it couldn't really be that bad." Bianca argued. "The Professor had to have known that we'd be inexperienced, she wouldn't give us really strong Pokemon." She turned to Hilbert. "It's okay, right? Some quick battles won't hurt anyone."

Hilbert shrugged. He raised his head slightly, and Snivy suddenly jumped down, using the front of Hilbert's hat like a diving board to land almost elegantly on the floor. It turned its head, blinked its red eyes and waited eagerly for a challenger. Bianca smiled at the enthusiasm. She turned her head to her Oshuwott. "Ready?"

The Water Pokemon narrowed its eyes and jumped down, landing across from Hilbert's Snivy. It readied its small arms, hopped from foot to foot for a moment and made a few small practice jabs.

"Since when were Pokemon aspiring boxers?" Hilda joked before laughing at Oshuwott's display. She took a seat on Hilbert's bed as Hilbert and Bianca readied themselves for their first battle. Cheren sighed and stepped back. He took a final look at the room while it was still intact, and began to ready himself to offer an 'I told you so'.

The two Pokemon postured. Snivy and Oshuwott readied themselves. Oshuwott looked ready to conquer the world, Snivy stood confident, perhaps even a little cocky as it smirked and waited for its opponent to make the first move.

"Go get 'em!" Bianca called. Oshuwott eagerly started, running up and looking ready to crash its head into Snivy. The Grass type easily darted to the side. Oshuwott skidded to a halt and readied itself for another charge.

"Stop the attack cold." Hilbert ordered. Snivy smirked and braced itself. Oshuwott came again, but this time Snivy caught its enemy in its fairly small arms. Oshuwott tried to push forward, but after a few moments Snivy managed to win the pseudo-wrestling hold. It lifted Oshuwott up and tossed it across the room.

Oshuwott crashed into the base of a bookcase and slumped to the ground. A mountain of books suddenly fell off the shelves and onto the Water type. It quickly threw the books that landed on it aside and stalked back to the battlefield. It was formally determined, but now it was mad, and it was still holding one of the books that landed on it. Without warning, it suddenly threw the book at Snivy, and it smacked into the Grass type's nose.

The book ricocheted, bouncing straight up into the fan, bouncing off of the spinning fan and flying into the window, shattering the glass. Cheren looked at the window and raised a hand to his forehead. Hilbert and Bianca and even Hilda seemed to have zoned out of everything not related to the battle.

"Show them who's boss, Snivy." Hilbert said. The Grass type nodded and aggressively charged. Oshuwott counter charged and their heads crashed into each other. They continued to push for a moment… and then, slowly, Oshuwott gained an advantage. Starting slow, it began to swiftly push Snivy back, leaving large unmistakable scratches in the floor as Snivy skidded back. It pushed the Grass type forcefully into the wall. Oshuwott immediately backed up, planning on making another attack, but Snivy darted away, leaving Oshuwott to break a hole in the wall that led to the outdoor air.

Snivy tackled Oshuwott, hitting it hard in the chest and knocking it off-balance. It attacked again, spinning around and smacking Oshuwott with its tail, sending the Water type off of its feet and onto its back. It tried to get back up, but the young Pokemon seemed to have reached its limits and couldn't do it by itself.

"This fight's over." Hilbert said. Snivy walked up and, showing some good sportsmanship, helped Oshuwott get back to its feet. The two Pokemon stared at each other tensely before turning and going back to their trainers.

The Oshuwott returned to Bianca, looking at the ground in failure. Bianca picked it up and simply smiled. "You did good. You did great for your first time." She hugged it close.

"Touching." Cheren said, standing away from where the battle had taken place with his arms crossed. He took his glasses off for a second to wipe them with a cloth, then put them back on. "Hilbert. Take a second to glance around your room. You might be surprised by what you see."

Hilbert raised an eyebrow and turned. He cringed as he saw a wrecked bookshelf, long scratch marks on the floor, a hole in the wall, and lastly, a broken window. "How did-"

"I told you so." Cheren said, his lips curled into a smirk as he spoke the words he had been dying to say. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out some medicine made for Pokemon. He immediately set to work spraying some on Oshuwott. It seemed to burn at first as the spray landed on its bruises, but it quickly perked up, like it had never been hurt at all.

He moved to Snivy and gave it a similar treatment. The Grass Pokemon was less willing to accept the gift, but Cheren rather forcefully grabbed the Pokemon and gave it the spray. In moments Snivy was back in perfect condition. It waved an arm, almost as if it was a work boss dismissing Cheren. Cheren's brows drew together in offense, but he did indeed leave.

"Seeing as you clearly don't care about damage to your room, you'll fight me here as well." Cheren said with a commanding and challenging tone. "Tepig."

He expected to see the little pig running ahead and readying itself for combat. Instead, he felt something pushing on his leg. He looked down to see Tepig developing a romantic interest in his heel.

"Tepig." Cheren said quietly. The little thing looked up at its trainer, and noticed the finger pointing forward. It immediately rushed forward enthusiastically, happy to do something that would impress Cheren.

Bianca took a seat in a chair, Oshuwott sat in her lap as Hilbert and Snivy readied themselves for a second round.

"Tepig. Finish this quickly." Cheren said. The Fire type eagerly obeyed, charging forward at a speed that Oshuwott and Snivy couldn't hope to match. It looked ready to take Snivy out with one blow, but Snivy simply took a step to the left and put its tail down. Tepig tripped over the tail, and hurtled straight into the wall.

Cheren gritted his teeth in frustration as his Pokemon crashed face first into the wall, leaving a large crack in it. Tepig immediately got back on its feet, but did not charge again. It pawed the ground and snorted. It waited, looking for any possible opportune moment.

Hilbert gave the order to attack, Snivy moved forward. Tepig wasn't ready to move yet, but instead charged only when Snivy had almost completely closed the distance. It caught Snivy with its sudden movement and continued to run, planning on ramming Snivy into a wall.

Snivy regained its orientation and managed to jump off of its enemy right before it would have been painfully slammed against furniture. Tepig ended up smashing its snout into the bottom of a bookcase. The bookcase wobbled, then fell to the side, which proceeded to cause an inevitable domino effect.

Cheren sighed at the destruction he was helping cause, but focused on the battle. Tepig tossed its head around before turning around and quickly charging. It managed to head butt Snivy, knocking it onto its back a full meter away. Snivy shook its head and looked up to see Tepig has jumped in the air, planning to land on top of its opponent.

Quickly rolling away, Snivy got back to its feet as Tepig landed harmlessly on the wooden floor. Snivy broke into a run and shoulder tackled its enemy, knocking Tepig across the room. Tepig slid forcefully into a wall but was quick to rise… but then its front feet buckled.

Cheren contemplated continuing the battle, but shook his head. "You win both rounds, Hilbert." He muttered, deciding that the fight was over. It walked over and picked up Tepig. The Fire type didn't seem as dejected as Oshuwott had been, and wagged its tail happily in Cheren's arms. "What do we do about the room now?"

All four of the friends looked around, seeing books all over the floor and all of the bookshelves knocked down. There were cracks on the walls and one hole blown straight through the wall. Hilda had thought that the battle was interesting and had entirely ignored what was happening to Hilbert's room.

"Um…" Bianca looked apologetically at Hilbert. "Well, it was my suggestion that we fight here. I should… tell Hilbert's mom." She looked at the Pokemon in her arms and sighed. "I could get grounded for life for this."

"You won't get all the blame." Hilbert said before Bianca could try to walk off. He put his hand on her shoulder, hopefully to a reassuring effect. "Come on, we'll explain it to my mom." Bianca blinked at Hilbert's friendly face before she smiled. Snivy got up behind Hilbert and scaled up Hilbert's leg, climbing until it got back onto his head.

The two left, Cheren watched them and brought a hand to his chin and thought for a moment. It _was_ Hilbert who hadn't objected to fighting in his room, he should get some of the blame for his misjudgment. After a time he, with his Tepig, left the room with Hilda.

* * *

All four of them found themselves in front of Hilbert's mom.

"So, Bianca's idea completely destroyed your room?" She asked, her arms crossed with a ladle still wet from stirring soup in her hand, and she was staring right at the girl.

"I okayed the idea, mom. It's not entirely her fault." Hilbert said, trying to divert some of the blame from his friend. "And I willingly participated. Cheren did too."

The older woman wrinkled her nose before sighing. "It's good that you're responsible enough to admit this." She made a small, weak smile. Though not eager to see the mess that had been made, or be the one to clean it up, she decided against putting a black mark on the day her son got his first Pokemon. The Snivy standing on her son's hat had to have been one of the cutest things she ever saw. "You two get your friends and just run along, I'll take care of the room. Go see the professor, she probably wanted you to go see her after you got accustomed to your Pokemon."

Hilbert took in a breath and relaxed the tension in him. Considering how his mom would normally glare over something like this, he expected a vicious draconian punishment, but he wasn't complaining.

Hilda scanned from side to side and then smirked. "And I was hoping one of you would have been shoved into the oven for what just happened."

"Oh, ha, ha." Hilbert fake laughed as he adjusted his hat. "We going to Juniper's lab?"

Hilda shrugged and nodded. Cheren moved forward. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Hilbert's mother suddenly called. The four of them all collectively froze. Hilbert's first thought was that his mom had reconsidered, and the four of them would spend the rest of the day cleaning. The woman walked up to her son. "Before you go, Hilbert…" She handed a small device to her son. "Here's your Xtransceiver. You forgot to put it away properly last night. I'll use it to stay in touch."

Hilbert took the device and rolled his eyes. He expected his friends to start to laugh at him, but no sound came. Pocketing the Xtransceiver, he motioned to the door.

* * *

Juniper was busy organizing various documents, and frequently taking a moment to type something on a computer. She was so busy, she failed to notice her four visitors. She suddenly climbed onto boxes to reach high places and sort some papers, until finally Hilbert cleared his throat and the sound carried to Juniper's ears. She turned around and saw the four of them, with the three Pokemon she had gifted them with.

"Oh, you're here." Juniper quickly got back down to the floor. "Today is an important day for you. Today some of you got your lifetime partners." As she said the word 'some' she looked sadly at Hilda, but the teen just smiled and shrugged, this apparently didn't bother her at all. "As such, I should start at the beginning. My name is-"

"Professor Juniper." Cheren said, looking slightly annoyed. "A leading expert on Pokemon research. We _know_."

Juniper pushed her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout. "As gentlemanly as ever, Cheren? This is an important day. Let's do it properly." She cleared her throat and began again. "I am Professor Juniper, and I am a researcher of Pokemon. My focus is studying when Pokemon were born."

"Born?" Hilbert lowered his head for a moment to think. "You mean, when Pokemon came into existence?"

"Yes!" Juniper had never talked about her specific field of research with the four, and was glad that Hilbert caught on so quickly. " I see you have your Pokemon, and they already seem to love you." Snivy had apparently staked out its territory on Hilbert's hat. Oshuwott was still on Bianca's shoulder, and Tepig was pretty much fused to Cheren's leg.

"I would appreciate it if he wasn't so clingy." Cheren said quietly.

"She." Juniper corrected. Cheren raised an eyebrow. "The Snivy and the Oshuwott are male, the Tepig is female."

Cheren looked down at his Tepig, she looked up endearingly at her trainer. Cheren raised his head and sighed. "Great."

"What's wrong with girl Pokemon?" Juniper teased, then moved on to other subjects. "Right then, now, onto the reason I gave you the Pokemon. Have any of you ever heard of a Pokedex?"

Three of them gave blank expressions. Cheren looked at his three friends and sighed. "The Pokedex is a staple appliance for all trainers. The only thing more essential are Trainer IDs."

"Yes." Juniper said, not surprised that Cheren was the only one who knew that. "It's a marvelous device that automatically records any Pokemon you encounter. I was hoping that, now that you have Pokemon, you would want to go on a journey through the region. You would meet all sorts of Pokemon. My research here would prevent me from going all around Unova to fill it up."

"A journey…?" Hilbert wondered aloud, stroking his chin. Snivy jumped down to Hilbert's shoulder and nodded enthusiastically. It was all the encouragement Hilbert needed. He raised a hand, clenched it, and did an enthusiastic fist pump.

"An adventure!" Bianca spoke cheerfully. She turned to her Oshuwott, it just tilted its head. It apparently hadn't been paying attention to the conversation.

"A quest." Cheren's eyes narrowed the way they always did when he was accepting a challenge. "Yes, we'll all go."

Hilda felt a little left out. As her three friends looked more ready to leave with every passing second, she had to say something.

"Hold it." She said, all three of her friends jumped at Hilda's uncharacteristic hostile tone. "I am going with one of you. I am _not_ going to have all three of you walk out on me." She was gritting her teeth, and it was doing a good job at intimidating all three of them. She stepped up to Cheren, the one who had the misfortune of standing right in front of her, and grabbed him by his collar. "You are taking me with you. _No_ complaints and _no_ excuses."

Juniper smiled at the drama. Cheren gave in almost immediately. The boy turned back to Juniper with an aggravated expression, while Hilbert and Bianca were beyond relieved. "I figured something like that would happen." She walked forward and, one by one, handed Hilbert, Bianca, and Cheren their Pokedexes. " It may just be almost the afternoon, but I'd advise you leave tomorrow morning. Take your time saying goodbye to your families and all of Nuvema. You probably won't be back here for a long, long time."

She looked at the four. They were all smiling, they all looked ready. She just hoped that they were _really_ ready for this. She also hoped that she hadn't manipulated them into doing this for her, or forced them to feel obligated to take her up on her suggestion. There was just one final thing she needed to say.

"Hilbert. About your… sleep schedule…"

Hilbert smirked. "I'll have to find… some way, to make sure I wake up tomorrow."

Juniper allowed herself and the other three to laugh as Hilbert sheepishly bowed his head.

* * *

"You're leaving?" Hilbert's mom exhaled as she took in the news. Her son, with the Snivy standing on the kitchen table, was going to leave for a Pokemon journey? No longer living peacefully with her? She-

"Mom. Please-"

"No, no." She raised a hand. "I understand. I understand completely. Everyone, even the most cautious, wants to go on an adventure someday. But… I just thought you'd stay here longer."

Hilbert was quiet, and just adjusted his hat.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then opened her eyes slowly. "Alright. If this is the last day you spend here for… a while, then I… I'll fix you your favorite meal, with your favorite drink. You can skip out on your chores, I might as well start getting used to doing everything around here by myself anyway. This is your day, to live however you wish."

Hilbert smiled. "Thanks, mom."

She turned to the cupboard to find an appropriate pot to cook in. Then she suddenly turned around. "Oh, and Hilbert…" She looked to the side, looking at the family portraits on the wall. "I met your father on my own journey years ago. My life changed forever when I met him. There's no doubt that you'll change forever on this journey to. The next time I see you, you'll probably walk in that door with a girl in your arms."

"M-mom!" Hilbert backed away. He turned red at the mental picture.

"You'll be in your tux. She'll be in a bride gown, and-"

"_Mom_!" Hilbert growled out, his mom turned smiling away from the portraits and back to her posturing son.

Getting reactions out of her son was so easy it was hard to resist the temptation to tease him. The only mercy he ever got was that she wouldn't tease him in front of his friends. Unless he did something that put her in a particularly vindictive mood. "Alright, Hilbert. But, you know that you won't be the same past tomorrow. There's hardship in this world, unlike anything you've ever known. You need to learn to rely on your Pokemon. Snivy, and any others you meet out there. I'm sure your friends will be right there for you. I know you well enough to know that you'll be there for both your Pokemon and your friends as well."

He sat down. After the girlfriend and marriage tease he wasn't in the most smiling of moods, but he knew what had just been said is true. "I'm not the sort to abandon people, or let them down." If the other three needed his help, he would most definitely offer it. He wasn't the lone wolf sort.

He thought for a moment and looked around his house. He would feel a bit of loss at leaving this comfortable place, but he was ready. There was one detail left. "There's just one thing I want to ask you to do…"

"I'll use every trick in the book to wake you up tomorrow morning." She said, practically reading his mind.

* * *

Cheren was still getting his things organized. He unexpectedly had to be packing for two rather then one. Supplies for himself and Hilda, and food for Tepig had to also be considered, of course. Fortunately, his surprising travel companion decided to help him pack. Even with Hilda's help here, this could take until night, since Cheren had said that he was preparing for every possible contingency. As Hilda learned, he really meant to prepare for _every_ possible contingency.

Tepig also helped, pushing some bags around herself. It was a very helpful little Pokemon, and now that he was over the unexpected shock that the thing was actually female, he enjoyed watching it running around. It would stop being cute before too long, once it gains experience in battle.

He brought the checklist out as Hilda came in with another box. Hilda put the box down, she was covered in sweat, and was probably wondering how preparing could take this long. Cheren decided to wait on telling her that they had completed only a quarter of their packing.

* * *

"No!" The man raged at his daughter. "Absolutely not! You are _not_ ready to do something like this."

Bianca took a step back from her father, but her face was filled with defiance. "I told the Professor I'd go-"

"Then you'll have to go back on your word." Her father cut her off. "You are _not_ ready to go on a journey like this. Not when you're still so obviously clueless and naïve about the world out there. You are staying right here." He pointed to the floor of the house with a finger that was shaking with anger.

The Oshuwott had become scared the moment Bianca's father had grown furious, and was trembling behind Bianca's leg. The man heard the sound of the little Pokemon. "The only thing you got out of today was a pet. Get to your room and forget about your 'adventure'. Tomorrow you are staying in Nuvema."

Bianca looked ready to protest, but her father turned away. This conversation was over, and he had put his foot down on the matter. Bianca turned around and picked Oshuwott up. She said nothing and moved to her room. She sat on the bed, her thoughts entirely on her friends. What would they think if she ended up not leaving with them tomorrow morning? It would disappoint them so completely, and she had been so eager to do this with them.

She took a deep breath, resisting the urge to bury her face in the pillow. It's not like she was getting influenced by a bad crowd, her father knew and liked her friends. She knew they were true friends that she shouldn't let down like this, and… she _had_ to go on this journey. She had already told Professor Juniper that she would.

The Oshuwott climbed the sheets and waddled onto Bianca's lap. It sat down and tilted its head, not understanding why its trainer was so distressed.

"Wott! Wott!" It got up and jumped up and down, then turned around and wagged it's little tail. Bianca smiled as it tried to cheer her up. She took it into her arms.

"I'm going to find a way to leave with them. I can't let the Professor and Juniper down." She looked down at her Pokemon. "I just… need a plan."

* * *

**Please review.**


	2. A Chance Meeting

**Seeing as I've decided to _really_ tackle this project, some things I have to say.**

**1. Making sure the story properly links up to White 2/Black 2 is not a priority for me.**

**2. There will be shipping (i.e. romance). What ships this story will have will be my own prerogative. It will be some time before any couple will be seriously hinted at.**

**3. There will be no OCs.**

**4. I won't contradict or negate the plot of Black/White, but expect some things to be different.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

It was a beautiful Autumn day in Unova. Yet today there was a certain, uncharacteristic silence in Nuvema Town. The word had spread that the four teens who were well known, and liked, around the small town were going to leave today. Even the usual chirping of the Pidoves seemed to be absent in honor of this event. The four would be leaving on a Pokemon journey, and wouldn't be back for a long, long time. That was the plan, though one of them was facing a very difficult hurdle in leaving.

Bianca's father was carrying a tray to his daughter's room. He had strictly forbidden her from leaving to go on this journey, and she had to be upset with him for it, but he knew it was a sound judgment call on his part. Bianca was too naïve about the world outside, she wasn't ready for it, she had to stay here for now. Yet she would likely be bitter about this for quite a long while. A tray filled with her favorite foods, he hoped, would ease her out of her bad mood. He opened the door…

"Bianca, it's breakfast. You should-" His words stopped cold as he glanced left to right, his daughter was nowhere in the room. The Oshuwott was gone too. Bianca's things, her hat, her purse, had also vanished. With no sign of a break-in, there was only one possibility.

"She ran off." He suddenly dropped the tray filled with various breads and fruits, letting the food spill across the floor. His eyes darted to the alarm clock in the room, which had been set to go off several hours earlier then usual. He was immediately furious in the face of the fact that his forbiddance to allow her to go had been completely ignored. Before anymore time transpired, he had turned and was racing to the house's front door.

* * *

Hilbert was asleep in his bed. His room had been cleared of books and debris, but it was still a wreck. The bookshelves were still knocked over and the walls were still cracked. His mother hadn't been able to _really_ begin cleaning up yesterday's mess.

His mom was already in the room. Her first attempt at waking him up was simply to shake his shoulder. When it quickly became clear that it was futile she raised the sleeping boy up to a sitting position and shook him a little more forcefully. She frowned as she stopped shaking and Hilbert's head hung forward. A collection of resounding gongs couldn't wake her son up. She laid him back down, and although she couldn't say she approved of… whatever it was Cheren had done yesterday, she might have been tempted to use such a surefire way of getting Hilbert up. Then she heard a little sound coming from above and looked up.

"Aren't you supposed to be in your Pokeball?" She asked the Snivy as it stood on one of the blades of the currently motionless fan. The Snivy looked down at her with an offended expression, then waved an arm. Hilbert's mother cocked her head. "Are you… going to try and wake him up?"

The Snivy nodded, then crossed his arms. The woman stepped back as Snivy readied himself. He jumped off of the fan and began to hurtle down toward its trainer with a confident glint in its eyes. It landed, his cranium smashing into Hilbert's gut. Breath whooshed out of Hilbert as his head rose and his eyes snapped open. His head landed back on the pillow before he began to slowly get up and look with dizzy eyes at Snivy, who was now sitting peacefully on his trainer's stomach.

"I'm so happy to have a Pokemon, I could just puke." Hilbert groaned out, rubbing a hand against the side of his head.

"That's no way to talk about the Pokemon who managed to wake you up." His mother lectured. "Put your clothes on, you know what today is."

Hilbert grunted before rolling out of bed. "Naturally. I'll be away from Nuvema starting today."

He had looked away from his mother and didn't see her slightly somber look. She quickly moved to speak of something else. "Bianca came by earlier." She said. Hilbert gave her a look. "She said she got excited and wanted to hurry on ahead, and you should meet her on Route 1."

Hilbert raised an eyebrow. "She does things at her own pace, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, but trying to completely rush it doesn't sound like her."

"I know that." His mother crossed her arms. "She was here before the sun had even risen, and she was in a hurry, but it looked more like she was racing against a clock, almost like she was desperate to get out of Nuvema."

"Well, now it _really_ doesn't sound like Bianca." Hilbert went over to the desk his clothes were at, and found a handy little map of the Unova region. He smiled and pocketed mom's final little gift. "I suppose I'll have to find her on Route 1, then. Cheren and Hilda look like they were also in a rush?"

"They're waiting near the exit of Nuvema. Better get going before they think you're staying." Hilbert frowned, his mom smirked that sometimes mischievous smirk of hers.

* * *

After his mom left the room, Hilbert put on his clothes and started to head downstairs. The Snivy was back in its Pokeball for now. As he reached the kitchen, he noticed someone else was in the house.

"There's her friend." The man, who Hilbert immediately recognized as Bianca's father, turned his attention to the boy. The man walked up to Hilbert, and it took a great amount of bravado on Hilbert's part to not retreat as the clearly angry face was thrust to within an inch of his own. "Bianca ran off to go on _your_ precious little journey."

Hilbert blinked. Well, that certainly answered why Bianca had been in such a rush. Bianca's father continued to talk. "Hilbert. You've always been a good example setter, and you've never lied or gone back on your word on important matters. So I'll ask this, will you find Bianca and bring her back?"

"Y…" Hilbert paused for a moment to think. "Yes, sir."

The older man smiled. "Good. She isn't ready for something like this. Find her and bring her back to me." He turned and left. "I need to talk to the Professor next. She's the one who started this whole mess by letting Bianca have that Oshuwott."

Hilbert gulped. The man might end up holding Juniper, and maybe Cheren and Hilda as well, responsible for what Bianca was doing. Hilbert felt the urge to get to the exit of Nuvema as fast as possible, and left with an obvious swiftness.

His mother was left in the kitchen by herself. Taking in a deep sigh she turned back to the counter. She didn't like the fact that Hilbert was leaving, but accepted it. A journey throughout Unova was something Hilbert definitely needed. Even if it meant that she would likely be lonely without her son around. Bianca's father on the other hand… had always been overwhelmingly overprotective, and simply rejected the idea of his daughter leaving. Bianca was, admittedly, not well versed in what the world outside Nuvema was like, but she _did_ have people to depend on. She wondered what Hilbert would do when he found Bianca. He wasn't one to go back on his word, as Bianca's father said, but… he _did_ love the occasional loophole.

* * *

"Cheren, Hilda." Hilbert got to the exit of Nuvema Town. Ahead of them was Route 1. He had chosen to run to reach the exit and took a moment to hunch over and catch his breath. "Bianca-"

"Went ahead of us." Cheren interrupted. Hilbert raised his head to his friend. "She came to my house too. Except that I was awake to talk to her. I assume you weren't." He turned his head to look down the route. "All she said was that she'd be by a tall tree."

Hilbert looked from left to right down Route 1. He didn't see any sign of the girl. "There are a _lot_ of tall trees."

"Suppose we start looking, and not just leer at the route until we find her?" Hilda asked with a flippant tone. She walked ahead. Cheren sighed, then motioned with his head at Hilbert to follow.

The search started out slowly. Every tree along the route's path, as Hilbert said, was tall and fit the bill of Bianca's directions. The three of them closely examined the area around every tree alongside the route. They searched for a good ten minutes, and Cheren was starting to get honestly worried.

"Bianca." Hilbert suddenly said with a relieved tone, catching Hilda's attention. Hilda turned and looked where Hilbert was looking. She spotted Bianca sitting beside a tree trunk. The girl stood up.

"You finally made it." She smiled. "I was getting… worried."

"If you want to be found faster, give better directions." Cheren took a second to glance around the route. "Saying 'meet me by the tall tree' is not going to get you found quickly."

Bianca looked down at the ground. "I had hoped we could have all shared the first steps of this journey. But, my dad, he…"

"Oh, that's right." Hilbert made a deep sigh and collected his thoughts before talking again. "Your dad, came to me and asked me to make sure you head back to Nuvema. I told him I'd do that."

Her stomach knotted at the words and her jaw dropped as the sense of horror permeated her. She rushed forward and got her face in Hilbert's face. "Hilbert, please! I want to do this with you three, please don't-"

"So." Hilbert interrupted, brining a finger up to silence her. "We'll take the long way back." Bianca blinked. "Come on. We're going on this little journey." He looked past her. "Your dad said just make sure you got back. He never said we had to come _right_ back."

Bianca's mouth hung open as she slowly understood, then she gave an easy smile at Hilbert's way of thinking. The weight inside her gut was dissolving.

"Of course, this means that we _have_ to travel together." Hilbert added. "I can't make sure you're doing anything if I'm not with you. I won't completely go against his wishes."

Her smile didn't fade. "I don't mind. I'm glad we can do this."

"So we've split into teams, huh?" Hilda asked, offering a cheeky little observation. She was with Cheren, and apparently Bianca would be going with Hilbert. "Well, no one's being left out, so fine by me." She turned her head, putting a hand on the visor of her hat. "We heading out or wha-" She suddenly shuddered and looked down. A little Lillipup had brushed its fur against her leg.

The Pokemon was pushing its way through the tall grass, then looked up with an almost endearing look of curiosity at the four humans before turning and disappearing.

"Wild Pokemon." Cheren said. "Pokemon not in the possession of a trainer. They're everywhere in the wild. I… haven't ever seen one this close." He reached for his Pokeball and released his Tepig. The little Fire type stretched itself and waited for orders. "I suppose I should get started with training. I wont allow either of you two to get a head start on me."

The Tepig was tensing itself up, waiting for a wild Pokemon to appear. Hilbert and Bianca glanced at each other, then they both reached at the only Pokeball they had with them.

* * *

At last they reached Accumula Town past Route 1. The three Pokemon had done well to get used to battle against Lillipups and Purrloins. At this point all three of the little things had become exhausted. The next step was to find some way to help them get back up to speed.

Snivy had adamantly refused to be put back in its Pokeball like Oshuwott and Tepig. It instead walked right beside Hilbert, bruised all over but walking just fine. Though it seemed to be motivated by pride rather then truly being hale and healthy.

"You three made it!" A familiar voice called out to them. They turned to see none other then Professor Juniper. The professor walked over to them and smiled, particularly at Snivy, who remained as prideful and arrogant as it had been the day Juniper had procured it. She was surprised that it was warming up to Hilbert so quickly.

Cheren pushed his glasses up his nose at the sight of Juniper. "What are you doing here? Didn't you tell us that you couldn't travel around Unova?"

Juniper smiled at the tone. "Accumula is basically next door. I think I can leave the lab for that long. And, I needed to make absolutely sure you all know something." She gestured at a particular building. "A way to heal your Pokemon when they're hurt."

Hilda looked to the side. "Um, I guess I don't really need that explanation. Shall I just pace around for a moment?"

Juniper shrugged. "Sure. It's not complicated, and one of your friends will probably explain it all to you later. Just don't wander too far from the building." The professor led the three trainers inside. Hilda shrugged and started to circle the building.

She had only just gotten to the back of building of her first trip around when she started to hear a voice.

"…worthless little failure!" She heard someone yell. She blinked and stopped, turning toward the direction the voice came from. It was coming through some bushes… she looked back at the building her friends had entered, and decided she had enough time to investigate whatever she heard.

* * *

Through the foliage, Hilda found what was clearly a Pokemon trainer, like her friends. It was yelling at a small Purrloin, it had to have been his Pokemon. "You can't win the easiest battle. We've been on this journey for a week and all you've done was lose over and over again. You are the _worst_ starter a trainer could have!" Hilda gaped as the boy walked forward and actually kicked the terrified Purrloin in its face, knocking it off of its feet and slamming it hard into a tree trunk.

The display would have been all the incentive Hilda would have needed to rush forward and physically attack the boy. By the time she was done, he wouldn't be able to get back to his feet by himself. Instead, something else happened.

"Stop." Another male voice chimed. The trainer and Hilda both looked to see a boy in a white shirt walk into the scene. The boy flashed a repulsed look at the trainer, then offered sympathetic eyes for the trembling Purrloin. "Is this what you wish to do? Hurt the Pokemon when it fails the cruel expectations its trainer puts on it?" The boy talked… strangely quickly.

"Shut up." The trainer snapped back. "You don't know me. Purrloin, attack him!"

The Pokemon looked at its trainer then slowly walked forward, shivering with fright, up to the person it was ordered to attack, mumbling small sounds out. The boy did not lose the sympathetic look it had for the little Pokemon. He knelt down and extended a hand. "Shh. I know what you're saying. Your life is horrible and terrifying with him. You deserve to be free, free with your natural beauty." The Purrloin continued to walk, and it didn't attack. Instead, it allowed itself to be picked up by the strange boy.

"Wha-" The trainer stared in disbelief. "Purrloin! I ordered you to-"

"You have no right to be with this Purrloin." The boy responded. "Torturing it the way you do… I will give it freedom." Without speaking further, he turned around and started to leave, the Purrloin leaning its head onto the chest of its savior.

The trainer's jaw dropped, then he trembled with violent indignation at what had just happened. He turned around and saw Hilda and immediately rushed over to her. "You saw that." He pointed at the leaving boy. "He stole my Pokemon. Tell someone that-"

Hilda suddenly slapped him across the face, hitting him hard enough that he was knocked to the ground. "Why don't you just go home and tell everyone how much of a _failure_ you are as a trainer?" She glared at him before walking right past the trainer she doubted anyone could ever say anything good about.

"Hey!" She called to the boy who had the Purrloin. He stopped and turned to her as she ran up to him. "I saw that. I didn't think someone so cool was going to jump in like that."

He looked at her with… peculiar eyes. "I couldn't let the Purrloin suffer at his hands." The little Pokemon was laying down in his arms, it was relaxing, but still clearly very tense. It was completely covered in bruises, that kick to the face clearly wasn't the first time its former trainer had brutalized it. "Pokemon are my friends. I won't let friends suffer under trainers like that." He looked down, close to Hilda's waist, looking for any sign of a Pokeball. "You are not a trainer?"

"Yeah. I don't really want a pet, and being a trainer doesn't really interest me."

He blinked, then smiled at what might have been a kindred spirit. "I believe you and I could become very good friends." She looked slightly embarrassed by the words. He seemed to want to say something further, but whirled, leaving with the Purrloin still in his arms.

Hilda watched him leave. She took in a deep breath, simply overwhelmed at how he had taken control of that situation and saved the Purrloin. She turned around, seeing no sign of the cruel starting trainer. The only thing that one could have done in his situation was to do exactly as Hilda told him to do. She brought a finger up to her lip and wondered if she was forgetting something.

"Ah. My friends." Her eyes widened. Her legs bolted into movement, she'd never live it down if they were just there outside the building, tapping their feet for her.

* * *

"So, this is a Pokemon Center." Juniper explained. "Think of it as a sort of Pokemon hospital. But there's more you can do here then just heal your Pokemon." She led the three to the counter. "In other regions around the world, this service would be conducted in another building called a Poke Mart. Here in Unova, you can find the services in the Centers." She turned to the counter, and put some money down. The clerk took the money and pleasantly handed her a small tray. Juniper turned around and presented the contents of the tray to the three. "Here are some spare Pokeballs. You'll need them out there on the road."

One by one, Hilbert, Cheren, and Bianca each took five Pokeballs. Juniper then directed them to another counter at the back of the building. A woman dressed like a nurse was on the other side.

"This is what you three really want to pay attention to. The nurse here can heal your Pokemon at the terminal in the back. What's more, the service is completely free. Let's demonstrate that." She put a hand out and waited for all three Pokeballs to be handed to her. The nurse accepted the Pokeballs and placed them on a large black surface. The terminal behind her lit up, showing a bar that Hilbert guessed measured the vitality of the Pokemon.

The service was done in barely a minute and the Pokeballs were returned. The nurse allowed the trainers to release their Pokemon and see them now fit, healthy, and devoid of even the slightest scratch.

"Any questions?" Juniper asked. None of them had anything to say to her. She smiled. "Alright. We've barely been in the Center five minutes, but knowing her temperament, Hilda is probably _already_ wondering what's taking so long."

* * *

They all left the Pokemon Center to find Hilda waiting for them. The girl breathed a sigh in relief that she had gotten back in time. She prevented herself from stooping from the exhaustion of running back, and, thankfully, none of them noticed that she had clearly just ran a fair distance.

"I'll be heading back to Nuvema now." Juniper announced to the four. "I can't be away from the lab for very long."

"I'd be careful." Hilbert said, drawing a confused look from the Professor. "Bianca's dad said he wanted to talk to you about the fact that you let her even have a Pokemon. He wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine about it."

Juniper's head lowered and she exhaled. "I think I'll stay in the Center until tonight, then. I'll just sneak back into Nuvema when the moon is up." She brushing a hand across her forehead in preparation for the undesired but inevitable showdown with the man. She was already forming an argument to justify her actions, which Bianca's father would likely just dismiss. The automatic doors of the Center opened and Juniper slipped back inside.

"So, what next?" Hilda asked, tilting her head curiously. She looked up in the air. It was starting to approach evening… they might be able to hit the next town before nightfall if they rushed it. Or they could try to find a place in Accumula to stay for tonight.

They all collectively thought, and Bianca slowly looked around, and something caught her interest. "Hey, something's happening over there." She looked to the center of Accumula Town, seeing a gathering of people. Impulsively curious, she was already zipping over to see what was going on.

"Bianca, wait-" Hilbert called out to the girl, but stopped as she quickly got out of earshot. He sighed, then motioned at Cheren and Hilda to follow. He suspected that traveling with Bianca was going to get him involved in a _lot_ of things he'd rather stay clear of.

* * *

Upon some slightly raised ground stood a… strange group. Hilbert had never seen the uniform they wore before, but it reminded him of the knightly orders he read about in History class. They stood in single file, facing the gathering crowd that Hilbert and his friends were a part of. Some of them on the far left and right side had a hand around a pole that waved large flags with an insignia foreign to Hilbert on them. It looked like a large letter P…

The line of figures broke to allow someone with a far more unique outfit to step forward.

"Hello, people of Accumula Town." The man started, looking over the exceptionally large amount of people the small town had. "I am Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. I am here to speak of our cause of Pokemon liberation."

Hilbert blinked at the words and turned to Cheren. Cheren seemed to be knowledgeable about almost everything, but even he just shrugged. He was as oblivious as Hilbert was right now.

Ghetsis continued to talk. "Since before recorded history, humans have lived alongside Pokemon for the benefit of both species. We live together, fight together, struggle together, and both become stronger in the process. Those facts are what many consider to be common sense. But, I beg you to ponder… is it really sensible?"

Murmurs began to rise through the crowd. Ghetsis' question was a bold one, and perhaps one no one had really tried to ask before. He may as well have said that two plus two _didn't_ equal four.

"Perhaps the more sensible path is the opposite one. Trainers order Pokemon to do as the trainers please. We work them, have them battle for us, all under the guise of being our 'partners'." There was a slight note of repulse as he said that last word, almost as if he believed that the word was nothing but a pleasant lie. Hilbert felt a strange, nameless churning in his gut.

"Pokemon are creatures with unlimited potential. By taking them and having them do our bidding, we stunt that potential. How do we rectify this situation? How do we free Pokemon from our oppression?"

Again, the crowd began to talk amongst itself. Finally, one anonymous person asked "Free them?"

Ghetsis nodded at the voice. "Yes. Yes, that is absolutely correct. Only when Pokemon and humans are apart from each other, not depending upon or exploiting the other, can we truly allow Pokemon to reach their true potential."

"I am not trying to tell you to release any Pokemon you have today." Ghetsis said with an understanding tone. He had a warm, fatherly smile, and his eyes exuded such… kindness. As his eyes darted through the crowd he was for just a millisecond staring straight into Hilbert's eyes. The sight chilled Hilbert to his very core. "I only ask that you think about what I have said today. Think, and maybe, act." He bowed his head. "I and Team Plasma thank you for your time." He turned around, slowly beginning to walk away. Those with his group, Hilbert heard Ghetsis call them Team Plasma, followed Ghetsis, taking their flags with them.

The crowd begin to speak in hushed tones, their minds now filled with many foreign thoughts. Slowly, they dispersed to go about on their way. As the crowd broke up, Hilbert saw a boy who was looking straight at him.

Hilda's eyes widened as she realized it was the same boy who had rescued the Purrloin. He walked up to them… his eyes darting across the Pokeballs that three of them had.

"Your Pokemon… are speaking to me." He said, speaking so quickly it seemed like he was trying to not be interrupted. He did not take his eyes off of the red and white balls.

"Don't talk so fast." Cheren's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "And what do you mean our Pokemon are talking to you? They're in their balls."

"I hear them." He answered. His eyes wandered from the balls to examine the quizzical looks he was getting. "You… cannot hear them? That is tragic." He put a hand over his chest, closing his eyes and seeming to think deeply about something. Slowly, he looked at them, focusing entirely on Hilbert. "My name is N."

Hilda would have been fast to make a joke about such a strange name, but she had already developed enough respect for N to not say anything. "Well, I'm Hilda. This is Bianca, Cheren, and Hilbert. They were asked to complete a Pokedex… I'm tagging along with Cheren."

"Completing a Pokedex?" There was a slight twitch in his face, to Hilbert it almost looked like N was offended. "How many Pokemon will be hurt, or jailed in Pokeballs, for that goal to be reached? I am a trainer, and I wonder… are my Pokemon really happy? Are they happy to battle?" His expression was blank remorse. "This one… your name is Hilbert? Let us battle. I want to hear more of your Pokemon's voice."

The Purrloin N had saved came out of a Pokeball. It made its cry and looked determined. Hilbert shrugged and released his Snivy, the Grass type smirked as it stood across from the Dark type.

N looked as the two Pokemon postured and readied for combat. His heart sank at the sight, but he said nothing. Hilda stood off to the side, not sure who she should be rooting for.

Snivy made a cry and rushed forward. The fur across Purrloin raised, and it braced itself for the impact. Snivy's head collided with Purrloin's, and they were locked in a stalemate.

"More!" N called. "Let me here that Pokemon's voice!"

Purrloin pushed as hard as it could, and managed to make Snivy start to back up. It continued to push until Snivy reached its hands out to put them on Purrloin's shoulders and leapt over its opponent.

Snivy landed behind Purrloin and tackled its enemy from behind. Purrloin skidded away and nearly fell over, but regained its balance and came back to make a scratch across Snivy's cheek. Snivy rubbed a hand against the new marks on its face and narrowed its eyes.

"Try that new trick we learned on Route 1." Hilbert called. "Vine Whip!"

Snivy nodded, then reached an arm out. A long vine suddenly protruded from its wrist, growing with no apparent rhyme or reason. Snivy twisted and then swung his arm, and the vine struck the Purrloin right in its face. Purrloin hissed and charged forward, evading a second attack from the long vine and scratching a claw across Snivy's stomach.

"Tackle it!" Hilbert commanded. Snivy retracted the vine and moved forward, ramming its head into the Purrloin's side. The Pokemon rolled away. "Keep the pressure on!" Snivy obeyed, running forward again, but the Purrloin stood up and ducked to the side, putting its tail down and letting Snivy trip over it.

Rather then crash, Snivy put its arms out and caught itself, immediately getting back on its feet. It followed through with its order, crashing into Purrloin and tossing the Dark type away. Snivy pushed its advantage, ready to end the battle, but stopped as a great foot came down in front of the Purrloin.

"Enough." N spoke, calling an end to the fight. "I won't allow my friend to be hurt further." He turned around and picked the Purrloin up. It was a little banged up, but still healthy and clearly still had a lot of fight left in it. Despite that, to N it seemed like every pore of Purrloin's body was exuding pain and suffering, things the Purrloin just shouldn't be forced to go through. The little Dark type looked up fearfully, the memories of how it was usually rewarded for failing still so cruelly fresh in its mind. N instead patted it on its head.

N looked at Snivy, blinking once, then twice at the Pokemon. He looked up at Hilbert. "To think there could be Pokemon who would say such things…"

His eyes drifted to the Purrloin. "When jailed inside a Pokeball, a Pokemon cannot ever reach its true potential. They can't be the perfect beings they are." He took a step away and then turned around. "For the sake of Pokemon, my friends, this world must be changed." He departed swiftly, not looking back at the four.

"Such a strange guy." Cheren brought a hand up to his chin.

"I… kind of like him." Hilbert said. "At least he cares about Pokemon."

Cheren glanced at Hilbert. N was one of the most overdramatic people he had ever met. He didn't believe N could actually understand Pokemon talk, either. He quickly shook his head. "Anyway, my next stop will be Striaton City. That's where I'll find the first Gym. The best way for trainers to grow stronger is to challenge every Gym. What about you?"

Hilbert shrugged. "If the Centers are free to use, I think I'll take care of the little things that Purrloin did to Snivy before I go on." He looked at the scratches on Snivy's body as the Pokemon came back to him. It offered no verbal protest to being put back in its ball. "Might as well always be on the road as refreshed as possible."

"Makes sense. So for now, this marks the end of all four of us traveling together. I'll just see you and Bianca in Striaton." He made his farewell, Hilda hurried after him.

Hilbert turned around to see Bianca smiling at him. "Congrats on winning! I knew you'd win."

"Ah…" He was embarrassed by the praise and turned away. "Of course, Bianca, thank you. Let's, um… get back to the Center."

* * *

N stood by himself in the woods. His long hair blew with a nice breeze. Slowly, he took the Pokeball out and released the Purrloin. The little cat looked at him and tilted its head. N crouched down and brushed a hand down the Pokemon's back.

"I'm sorry you had to be hurt in that battle." N whispered. "It's time you returned to the freedom you deserve."

The Purrloin walked up and rubbed itself against N's leg, then looked at N and nodded. It started to back up, keeping N in sight for a moment, before then whirling and running into the tree line.

N turned around, looking in the direction of Accumula Town. His thoughts were on that Snivy, and the unbelievable claim it had made. He also thought of the trainer of that Snivy.

"Hilbert…" N said, knowing, without knowing how, that today's meeting with the boy was just the first of many.

* * *

**Please review.**


	3. Into Striaton

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Striaton City was a backdrop to life that Cheren had never experienced before. Truthfully, he had never even ever been this far away from Nuvema before. He kept his mouth shut about that fact and walked around normally, acting as if everything about the city was all old things he was already long since accustomed to. Fortunately, his manner of dress, though slightly different from those who lived here, did not stand out. Hilda seemed to be far less impressed by the fact that she was this far away from Nuvema Town, and just shrugged while occasionally glancing around the city.

City life had to have been very different from life in Nuvema, Cheren understood as he looked around. It was approaching evening, and by this time everyone would be settled indoors in Nuvema for the night. In Striaton, it seemed possible that the activity only really started as the sun went down. It was lively, but it wasn't quite as… bustling, as he assumed city life would be, but Striaton also wasn't Unova's largest city. He might not be able to hide his shock when he arrived at the larger cities of Unova.

The city was lit up, almost like there was a festival going on. Considering the expressions on the faces of the people he and Hilda passed, this spectacle was likely just daily routine for them. The city had a certain cheerfulness to it, but it was distinct from the Nuvema-brand of cheerfulness. Cheren wasn't interested in any sightseeing or culture learning, and simply looked toward one of the large, helpful maps of the city. As a trainer, there were some things he wanted to see before anything else.

His first desire was to challenge the gym, but as he looked at a local map something else caught his eye.

"Hilda." He called his companion over. She walked up and looked at the map with a bored expression.

She craned her neck slightly and yawned. Her eyelids were drooping and it seemed to be a challenge for her to raise her head. "Please tell me you're pointing to a hotel." She looked ready to say that the first day of this adventure was over, but she was disappointed when Cheren shook his head in defiance of her wishes.

"We won't be done for the day at least until I make a gym challenge. Before we even do that we have two stops to make."

Hilda groaned her frustrations out. "Well, it's not like I _need_ sleep or anything." She muttered sarcastically before frowning at her friend's utterly unsympathetic face. Cheren pointed a finger at a tree line leading east out of the city.

* * *

Hilbert and Bianca at last arrived at Striaton. Hilbert had to blink at the city, so completely different from Nuvema, he wondered if anyone would start leering at him as he went in. Bianca gaped at every corner of the city she could see, living in the country town of Nuvema, she had only seen places like this on television. With lights strung up and more people then she could imagine walking around even at this late hour, she felt like she was in another world. It was amazing that just a few days ago it seemed like she might be stuck in Nuvema forever. Not realizing that she might end up looking like some country bumpkin, she started to move, eager to see every nook and cranny of the city, but then something grabbed her shoulder and jerked her back.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Hilbert said, letting go of Bianca's shoulder. He looked up in the air, it was now nighttime, with all the stars out. The city buildings were not so tall that the stars or moon were hard to see. The city wasn't like anything he had ever encountered before, but after all of today he couldn't properly summon any enthusiasm. He felt exhausted, but he wasn't ready to find a bed just yet.

"But, Hilbert, what is there's something-"

"Let's sight-see in the morning." He sighed. "For now, we need to find that Gym Cheren was talking about." He led Bianca away to a large lit-up sign that hosted a map of Striaton City. His eyes scanned past the location of the Center or of any shops and popular attractions, he was looking for Striaton Gym first and foremost. Instead, something else reached out and grabbed his undivided attention.

"…Trainers' School?" Hilbert asked out loud.

"Where are you looking?" Bianca asked, looking all over the map and not seeing anything. Hilbert pointed a finger at the map, Bianca looked at the Trainers' School, which the map's guide stated was for Pokemon Trainers. Judging by its position on the map, it was probably…

Hilbert casually turned his head. The Trainers' School had been almost to his immediate left, across the street. He shrugged. "Not sure what the school is, but if its for trainers, it might be worth checking out first."

* * *

So long as he did not disturb the night class that was currently in session, Cheren and Hilda were allowed to be in the classroom. Cheren was staring at a large blackboard. The board was perhaps longer then the side of his house, and was rich with facts that held deep meaning to a trainer.

He wasn't oblivious to many of the facts, but the words struck him deeper now that he was a trainer. Type elements, statuses, move setups, even item usage, these things would be the end of him if he didn't know them. He walked from one end of the board to another, taking in the richly detailed facts. His mind contemplated how to properly use this information, and he was already burning for a chance to try this new knowledge out. Hilda took a seat at a vacant desk and put her head down, staring at Cheren with a bored expression and waiting for him to finish. The minutes came with a cruel slowness as Cheren seemed to want to read the board several times over.

The door to the classroom eventually opened. Cheren turned around and blinked as Hilbert and Bianca unexpectedly entered. Paying them no mind, he turned back to the blackboard. He heard Hilbert and Bianca talking to the teacher, most likely receiving the same warning about not disturbing the class, and then Cheren heard the feet coming up to him.

Cheren turned to Hilbert. His friend glanced at the board. "What are you looking at?"

"Types. Setups. Abilities." Cheren explained. "If a trainer does not understand these, he will not get very far at all."

Hilbert shrugged and he and Bianca both began to read. Hilbert had to blink at some of the terminology the board used. He also found himself going into a near stupor from how tedious the knowledge was being presented. Cheren had the patience for words, he didn't. He'd rather someone personally explain this, or maybe he could learn through experience. If he was having trouble paying attention and was spacing out, he doubted Bianca was following all that well either.

"I'd enjoy practicing what I've learned." Cheren said quietly, he glanced at Hilbert. The expression was clearly challenging, Hilbert just sighed, then nodded with a smirk. Hilbert was the one who had defeated him before, and Cheren wanted to settle the score. Bianca he had far less interest in having a fight with. Cheren walked off to speak to the teacher for a moment, then returned to Hilbert. "We can battle in the classroom. It will be a demonstration for the class."

Hilda got out of the desk she was sitting at and moved next to Cheren as Cheren and Hilbert got on opposite sides of the room. She did not in anyway look like a cheerleader right now, instead she just sighed and hoped the fight would begin, and end, soon. Bianca was far more enthusiastic, tapping Hilbert's shoulder and wishing him good luck.

The two released their Pokemon. Snivy took the time to casually stretch and went so far as to yawn, looking like it wasn't being as serious about this as it really should be. Tepig tensed and pawed the ground, ready to pay Snivy back for their first fight from just yesterday morning.

The students of the night class began to murmur amongst themselves. Hilbert didn't need to pay attention to know what the central thing they were talking about was. Snivy was a Grass type, and he already knew that it was at an elemental disadvantage against Tepig. The teacher of the class had just crossed his arms, not saying anything, but his expression was proof enough that he felt Hilbert had already lost.

Bianca and even Hilda were looking almost offended that the class was acting like the match was already decided. Hilda made a glare and most of the murmuring died down. Hilbert and Cheren squared off…

"I don't think you fully understand how uphill this battle will be." Cheren said, a slight look of confidence in his eyes. He wasn't cocky, not did he think he had already won, but he understood that things were tipped in his favor. "After my training today, Tepig learned a new attack, and my chances of victory are much higher then last time. Tepig, use Ember!"

Tepig's eyes glinted mischievously, and it snorted, smoke coming from her nostrils. She raised up on her hand legs and then thrust her head forward, practically sneezing two little sparks of fire at Snivy.

"Snivy, dodge!" Hilbert ordered. Snivy, with a new focus to its eyes, darted aside, letting the hot flames shoot past both himself and Hilbert. Hilbert gave the order to attack, victory was going to depend on not letting Tepig do that too much. Snivy rushed ahead as Tepig began to draw in air for another Ember.

"Give yourself some room." Cheren said, Tepig jumped back before charging ahead, rushing past Snivy and turning around. Tepig readied itself for another Ember, but Snivy reflexively used Vine Whip. The slender vine struck Tepig across her face, but she didn't even recoil. Only hurting a little, it released the fire from her nostrils. Snivy tried to retract the vine and start moving again, but wasn't fast enough. The little fireballs struck him in the chest. The flame dispersed quickly, Snivy didn't even get knocked off his feet, but a burnt chest and a new glare from its eyes gave evidence to the new pain it was in.

Some of the students gasped, surprised that the fight hadn't ended with just that one blow. That Snivy was still standing even after it was hit by its elemental weakness seemed illogical to them. Hilda allowed herself to smirk, happy to see the students get their first guesses proven wrong.

Hilbert glared at the Tepig, then looked at his wounded Snivy. "Snivy. Rush in, do _not_ give Tepig a chance to do that again." Snivy, too prideful to reveal that it was in a fair amount of pain, did as he was told and rushed forward. He jumped over the next series of fireballs and tackled Tepig, sending the pig scraping away.

Tepig tried to use Ember again once it stopped moving, but Snivy spun around to behind the enemy. Tepig's eyes almost bulged out as it was yanked around by its tail. Snivy managed to toss Tepig a short distance away, then tackle its enemy before it could rise. Tepig snorted and got up, pawing the ground. It looked very, very determined, and was _not_ about to allow a repeat of the last battle.

Snivy smirked, looking in control once more.

"Finish it." Cheren commanded. Tepig sucked in air, ready to use Ember again, and then charged forward. Hilbert was puzzled at first, then realized that Cheren wanted Tepig to use Ember right in Snivy's face.

"Don't even let Tepig look at you!" Hilbert called, it was the best wording he could think of to describe the strategy he wanted to employ. Snivy understand exactly what Hilbert was getting at, and ducked to the side. Tepig couldn't shoot its Ember at an enemy it couldn't see, Tepig spun around… but it was almost like Snivy had just evaporated.

Tepig's movements were initially frantic, but it eventually slowed, it started to look more confused then panicked at Snivy's disappearance. It started to wonder if Snivy ran off… had it won by default? Her tail was up, it was still slightly tense, but it had stopped keenly examining the environment for her enemy. Cheren was scanning around… the Snivy was apparently quite good at stealth. Then his eyes widened.

"Above you!" Cheren shouted. Tepig jumped at the sudden voice, then looked up to see that Snivy has climbed up a shelf… and had just jumped down.

Tepig released its flame, but Snivy dodged both fireballs. It continued down, and landed with force on top of Tepig.

Cheren sighed. For all that he had just taken in from the blackboard, he hoped that the result would have been different. Despite his desire to win, Tepig didn't deserve to be put through more pain because her trainer was being stubborn. He walked up, Snivy looked at Cheren's approach and turned around. Raising his tail in an overly haughty fashion, he pranced back to Hilbert.

As the battle ended with Hilbert's and Snivy's victory, the students in the room began to discuss among themselves.

"No way."

"…statistically impossible…"

"A Grass type can't defeat a Fire type…"

The teacher clapped his hands, immediately silencing the students in the room. He walked forward. "Both Pokemon fought admirably. I admit to being surprised that Snivy came through and won… but that illustrates an important point. Sometimes skill, or the individual Pokemon's power, can overcome a disadvantageous typing. Always remember that…"

He kept talking, the four teens had joined up to talk amongst themselves. Cheren held Tepig in his arms, he'd have to bring the banged up Pokemon to the Pokemon Center before his planned Gym challenge. "I suppose just knowing about the inner workings of battle won't guarantee victory." He glanced at the Snivy, sitting atop Hilbert's hat with a burnt but seemingly fairly unharmed chest. "I'll put more priority on getting Tepig stronger. I'll also catch a new Pokemon. Things will be different next time."

"Yeah…" Hilbert said, not sounding convinced that the end result would be any different in the next duel. "How did your Tepig get that strong? I know it wasn't just off of the Pokemon on Route 1."

"I trained at the Dreamyard before I came to the Trainers' School." Cheren said frankly. "It's on the edge of the city, a suitable training ground. I trained enough there, after a stop at the Center I'm heading to the Gym."

Hilbert nodded and turned to Hilda. The girl's eyes narrowed, it was obvious that she wanted to get to a bed, not a spectator's chair in the Gym. Cheren and Hilda left first, leaving Bianca and Hilbert in the school.

"What next?" Bianca asked. Then her eyes twinkled with a thought. "Can we look around the city _now_?"

He looked at her, and almost caved to the request given by the innocent face, but just shook his head. "Let's get to the Dreamyard." Bianca's eyes drooped in disappointment. "If Cheren trained there, then I should check it out myself." He glanced at the teacher of the current class, he was still busy explaining how matches didn't begin and end with type differences and didn't even notice that Hilbert was still in the room. Motioning at his friend, Hilbert got himself and Bianca out of the room.

"…with that in mind, I'd like to ask the trainers if-" The teacher turned around and looked, seeing only empty space where the four teens has been earlier. His mouth was frozen mid-word, and as he stared incredulously at the now empty area near the blackboard.

"They left." The teacher muttered, shaking his head.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." One of the students in the back of the room answered.

The teacher snapped around. "_Who_… just said that?"

The student that had spoken looked around uncomfortably, then pointed a finger to the student at his left. "George did."

* * *

Bianca's eyes widened as she took in the sights of the Dreamyard. Hilbert looked at his friend, hopefully this somewhat counted as letting her sightsee a little. She moved impetuously, almost leaving Hilbert behind, he had to jog to keep pace with her.

Hilbert realized that there were eyes watching him. Little Pokemon wandering about in the grass and hiding in the trees were watching the humans suspiciously. The area was clearly visited frequently by humans… Hilbert wondered what the popular opinion was on humans among the Dreamyard Pokemon.

Snivy stood up from its sitting position on Hilbert's hat. It stomped a foot, seemingly for no greater purpose then annoying Hilbert. Hilbert raised his head. "Yes, yes. We're going to get to training. After Bianca finishes… with, whatever."

Bianca was still walking around and gaping. There were buildings here, and they were in ruins. Neither she or Hilbert had ever seen anything like them. It wasn't like they had stumbled upon the remains of an ancient civilization, but Hilbert felt a certain excitement at the thought of wandering around the abandoned, and at this point, crumbling, structures. If he felt the impulse, he supposed it was okay to let Bianca act on her own impulse.

"Oh, hello." Hilbert blinked at the sound of a distant voice. It didn't sound like it was talking to him. He looked, and saw Bianca talking with someone. Another girl at the Dreamyard.

"Hi." Bianca said cheerfully, not at all worried about who this person might be. "Do you need something?"

The girl tilted her head at Bianca's innocent attitude, then looked at the single Pokeball she had. "You're a… starting trainer?"

Bianca smiled. "Yes, I just started this morning. All I have with me right now is Oshuwott." She took a Pokeball out and, with no prompting from the girl, released the little Water type.

The girl saw the little thing trot around and smiled easily. Oshuwott looked around, then made a curious tilt of the head. Unable to understand why it had been called out, it tensed and struck a fighting pose as a twig snapped in the distance. It didn't seem to realize that it looked more endearing then fierce.

"Will you be leaving Striaton soon?" The girl asked out of the blue. Bianca blinked.

"Why… do you ask?" Bianca suddenly looked uncomfortable at the random question.

"I…" The girl's eyes looked a little sad. "I have a Pokemon, and I want it to see the world outside of Striaton, but… I can't go and travel. I was hoping a trainer might take it… if you'll leave soon."

Bianca blinked. "Are you… giving me a Pokemon?"

The girl revealed a small Pokeball, and released a Pansear. The little monkey bounced up and down at first, then clung to the girl's leg.

"No, Pansear." She said, shaking the Pokemon off her leg, but then picked it up and held it firmly in her arms. "I… won't be able to be with you any longer past today." Pansear tilted its head, not understanding. "I'm not abandoning you, just… you need to see the world outside of Striaton. Besides…" She trailed off, not alluding to another reason she wanted Pansear to leave. She had heard that Pokemon thieves were in the area… and one of her neighbors recently lost a Pokemon to those same thieves. Seeing her beloved Pansear leave with a good trainer, though painful for her, was better then letting it get kidnapped. "If this trainer will have you."

Bianca looked at the small Fire type, it looked at her with a peculiar expression. It clearly didn't really understand what was happening. Its trainer hugged it before putting it down and gave it a small push forward.

Oshuwott walked up to it and extended a hand. The Pansear took it quietly. Oshuwott slowly smiled. "Wott! Oshu."

The enthusiasm returned to the little monkey. The two little things released each other's hand and shared a jumping high-five. Bianca knelt down and picked up what had just become her newest Pokemon. The Pansear looked cheerily at Bianca, seeming to take this sudden and unexpected change in its life well.

"Please… take good care of her." The girl said. She patted Pansear on the head and smiled, bitterly, then with her head turned to keep her former Pokemon in sight for as long as possible, started to move to leave the Dreamyard.

"That was strange." Hilbert said, looking at the little monkey in Bianca's arms, and trying to make sense of what had just happened so suddenly. His friend now had a new team member, which would be given a new Pokeball to live in very soon. After the unexpected difficulty of his fight with Cheren, he wasn't… too keen on Bianca having a fire type. Fortunately, the idea of another battle between them didn't occur to Bianca.

Bianca patted the Pansear on the head, then put it down. It started to hop up and down, clearly just a little bundle of energy. Hilbert raised his head quickly to get his Snivy's undivided attention. "It's time to start training." The Snivy jumped down, at first looking at the Pansear. The monkey approached Snivy, looking friendly. Snivy crossed its arms, not interesting in getting buddy-buddy. The soundless rebuff made Pansear pause, Snivy turned away haughtily, eager only to start training.

Almost immediately, a Patrat began to approach. Snivy readied a battle stance just in case the Patrat was charging with hostile intent. Instead, the Pokemon ran right past Snivy and its trainer. Snivy looked quizzical as the Patrat shot past at max speed, and understood immediately that the Patrat was… scared, of something.

It wasn't the only one. More Patrats and even some Purrloins ran past. They outright fled the Dreamyard, huddling at the line of foliage between the Dreamyard and Striaton City. Hilbert felt a slight sense of apprehension in him, and wondered what was chasing them out.

His unspoken question was answered. Something stepped out into plain sight. It was small, it was angry, it was staking out its territory… and it had decided that Hilbert and Bianca were trespassing.

Hilbert quickly brought out his Pokedex and let the device record the strange creature.

"…Pawniard?" He cocked his head slightly. "But, wait… the Pokedex says that they're only native to Route 9 and Route 11. What's one doing-ah, Snivy!"

He called his Pokemon just in time. Snivy heard its name and immediately jumped, evading a thrust from one of the dual Dark and Steel type's bladed arms. The Grass type reflexively slammed itself into its unexpected opponent. The Pawniard stumbled a step back, then immediately came forward with a horizontal slash, scarring Snivy's still burnt chest.

"Snivy! Use Vine Whip! Don't let it get close!"

It obeyed, lashing out with its vine and briefly forcing the Pawniard to back away. Hilbert took in a slow breath, wondering if he was putting Snivy in a very dangerous situation. Snivy swung and snapped his Vine Whip, not giving the Pawniard a chance to approach… but then the Pawniard swung one of its bladed arms, slicing the vine in half.

Snivy, for the first time since it had joined Hilbert, looked honestly afraid as the Pawniard began to close the distance, and…

"Trip it!" Hilbert called. Snivy moved to the side, letting the Pawniard's wide arm swipe only slash empty air. Snivy dropped its tail and let it catch the Pawniard's foot, causing the enemy to fall and skid across the dirt ground.

Snivy closed in and kicked its enemy, making the Pawniard roll away. It quickly got up, Snivy ducked over one slash and darted away from its second, but when it tried to strike the Pawniard, the Pawniard blocked the attack with an arm and elbowed Snivy in the gut.

The Pawniard raised an arm, Hilbert thought for one horrifying second that it was going to be a death blow. He shouted for Snivy to defend himself, Snivy lunged forward through its pain and managed to strike Pawniard's unguarded chest.

The enemy recoiled, taking several steps back, glaring at Snivy while breathing heavily. It charged again. Hilbert called for Vine Whip and Snivy obeyed, lashing the vine across Pawniard's face and making it scrap to the side. The Pawniard did not immediately start moving again. It hunched over, needing a moment before it could dare to continue the fight, Snivy pressed the attack, the next strike of the Vine Whip sent Pawniard off its feet and onto its back.

Hilbert took in a slow breath, hoping that the unexpectedly intense fight was over. The Pawniard was still breathing, but it didn't look like it was in any condition to get back up. A fact that was confirmed when the Pawniard tried to rise, but just fell back down. Despite the fact that he could say that he was the victim of assault, Hilbert wasn't content to leave it wounded. He grabbed one of the Pokeballs he received from Juniper earlier and threw it. It hit the Pawniard and took the Pokemon inside. The ball shook briefly on the ground with the Pawniard's defiance, but eventually all movement ceased.

Walking over and picking the Pokeball up, Hilbert glanced at Snivy, it would definitely be visiting the Pokemon Center before challenging the Gym.

"Y…you and Snivy are okay?" Bianca asked, the concern so plainly clear in her voice. Hilbert put a hand on Bianca's shoulder to calm her nerves. He thought he might have looked a little panicked, but Bianca had him beat there. He smiled to assure her that everything was alright.

Hilbert opened the Pokeball and let the Pawniard out. Bianca shuddered. "What are you doing? That thing just-"

"Bianca, please… let's see how it's doing." He looked at her, not realizing he was giving the pitiable expression that Bianca would always cave to. The Pawniard reappeared, no longer lying down but now in a kneeling position. It looked up at Hilbert and Bianca, then slowly turned its head away, shamed by its defeat. Hilbert got up close and placed a hand on the Pawniard's shoulder, it shuddered and looked back at the human that had caught it.

"How did you get to the Dreamyard?" Hilbert asked, though not really expecting an answer. The Pawniard had… apparently already accepted that Hilbert was its trainer, but it was certainly still a tad defiant. It looked to be deeply injured, and some wounds… he knew Snivy did not inflict. "Doesn't matter, I guess. I need to get you to the Pokemon Center." Pawniard looked away, and saw Snivy. The two Pokemon shared a glance, and Snivy confidently extended a hand. The Pawniard stared, not seeming to understand how to respond to the gesture, then extended its arm and let Snivy grab the blade.

Oshuwott trotted forward and made a similar gesture. Pawniard glared at the Water-type's extended hand and turned away, scorning the friendly act. Oshuwott dropped its hand, tilting his head in confusion at Pawniard's behavior.

Hilbert carefully put both of his hands on the Pawniard and picked it up. Snivy climbed up, this time climbing onto Hilbert's arm rather then his head. It and the Pawniard shared a glance, it was impossible to tell if it was a friendly or unfriendly glance.

"I have two Pokemon now." Hilbert said, he smiled. "After a visit to the Center… the Gym won't stand a chance."

* * *

**I already have Hilbert's team settled. Though there is a bit of a problem that they're all found in the later parts of the game, so I'll cheat a little with Pawniard. (I do have a reason as to why it was at the Dreamyard.) Snivy and Pawniard, and their evolutions, will be all Hilbert has for... quite a while.**

**Please review.**


	4. From Gym Back To The Dreamyard

**Considered splitting this into two chapters but, eh.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"Um, did we just come in the wrong building?" Hilbert asked.

The Striaton Gym. Hilbert would have had many ideas what the inside of a Pokemon Gym would look like. A workout Gym themed on Pokemon, a coliseum for trainers to battle, maybe even look like some dark shrine, but, a _restaurant_? The only thing about it that made it look like a Gym for trainers were the large emblems of Fire, Water, and Grass stitched onto the carpet. Those symbols most likely just referred to an oven, cooking water, and vegetables.

Rather then see trainers and challengers, he saw waiters and waitresses moving swiftly but elegantly, seeing to the orders of the patrons. Judging by the looks on the faces of those eating, this was apparently a very high-quality restaurant you were guaranteed to leave satisfied with. He turned to Bianca, who made a confused shake of her head.

"Maybe we should… get back to the town map, and-"

"Excuse me." A male voice cut off Bianca's suggestion. Bianca and Hilbert turned to one of the waiters, this one had green hair. The two Nuvema trainers couldn't help but notice all the other waiters and waitresses had stopped and were looking at this green-haired man. He was apparently someone of authority here. "Are you two, um, challengers?"

Hilbert looked to the side, in this situation he wasn't sure what they question meant. "We're… Pokemon trainers, I'm here for a Gym challenge. Is this, the Pokemon Gym?"

"Yes, it is." The waiter answered, not a speck of sarcasm in his voice. "My name is, uh, Cilan. I and my two brothers use this building as a restaurant, but in the back we have… Gym challenges. You will, face me or one of my two brothers for your Gym badge."

Cilan paused a lot as he spoke, and looked flustered to speak. Hilbert's guess was that Cilan had some issues with his self-confidence. The Waiter and Gym Leader swallowed before continuing to speak.

"Which brother you face depends upon which Pokemon you, um, have. Assuming they are small enough to not wreck this room with their size alone, can the challenger, ah, show me his Pokemon?"

Hilbert nodded, releasing both his Snivy and his new Pawniard. Cilan blinked, then nodded. "Alright, a Grass type and a, um, dual Dark and Steel type. We'll take a moment to prepare for the battle. Please take a seat at a vacant table…" Cilan made a polite waiter bow, then walked off, heading to a door. Despite apparently not being confident at talking, he was an elegant, graceful, and ideal waiter. Hilbert shrugged as he and Bianca moved to a table.

Snivy and Pawniard stood on the table, Snivy began to pace as Pawniard was as still as a statue, the fact that it was alive and well occasionally noted by a small movement. Both Pokemon received various glances from around the room, particularly the Pawniard, which didn't look like an overly friendly Pokemon. Bianca looked at the two Pokemon, then decided to release her own, letting Oshawott and Pansear also sit on the table. A few of the waiters shuddered at the sight of a Fire type Pokemon sitting on the white and entirely flammable fabric stretched across the table.

After a time, someone exited from the door. It wasn't Cilan, though his general build and his face was very similar to Cilan's, his hairstyle and hair color were completely different. He walked right up to Hilbert and Bianca, looking at them with his one visible eye, his other eye hidden behind his blue bangs. "One of you is the challenger?"

Hilbert turned to the man and just pointed a finger at himself.

"My name is Cress." The waiter answered. "One of Cilan's brothers. Who you will fight has been decided. Please follow me to the back."

He turned around, but spoke again before Hilbert and Bianca had even stood up. "As usual, as compensation for the slower service caused by the disappearance of three of the waiters, any meal you've already ordered will be half off during the Gym challenge."

There was a round of applause and cheers for the challenger from the patrons, and some silent grumbles from the one person who had _just_ finished signing a check.

* * *

Hilbert and Bianca were in the back now, and this looked more like Hilbert's idea of a battle arena. It was well lit and spacious, the walls were not glamorous, they were clearly designed to handle stress and damage, not to look good. The room was flat, but the emblem of Fire, Grass, and Water again appeared, apparently painted onto the hard ground.

Cilan was already back here, though his stance seemed to suggest that he was a spectator more then anything else. There was also a red head sitting in a chair, Hilbert immediately knew it was the third brother, the only one that he hadn't seen yet.

"You're very lucky." Cress said, in a slightly cocky manner as he joined his brothers. "I won't be the person you'll be fighting. No, your opponent will be Chili."

"Yes!" The red haired brother, Chili, flipped out of the chair and pumped both of his fists, and with that alone revealed that he was the most excitable brother. "Sorry about making you think bad of your skills, but a scorching Fire-type specialist, and the strongest of the Striaton brothers, just won't hold back!"

"…Fire-type?" Hilbert felt some of his confidence slip. Both of his Pokemon were weak to fire, this match might already be over. At the same time, Snivy had come through and defeated a Fire type enemy not even an hour ago. His confidence returned with a vengeance, and he wore a victorious grin. "I'm sorry that I'll make a 'scorching Fire-type specialist' think bad of his skills when he loses to Pokemon weak to the Fire-type, that _are_ holding back."

Chili's bravado gave way to a stunned, gaping silence. Bianca gave a small cheer at Hilbert's taunt while Cress chuckled. Cilan smiled as his normally endlessly confident brother was struck dumb.

"We'll see just who's gonna get humbled, challenger!" Chili grabbed one of his Pokeballs, an appropriate fiery look in his eyes. "Let's see if your Pokemon are even worthy of meeting my Pansear. Lillipup!"

He threw the Pokeball, the Fire Leader saw fit to start with a Normal type Pokemon. The Lillipup, clearly better trained and stronger then the wild ones Hilbert had seen before, barked and waited for an enemy.

Hilbert smirked, both of his Pokemon were already out of their balls, so he just turned to call one of them. "Snivy, you're up." The Grass type beamed, pleased to have been the first to meet the enemy.

Snivy walked forward and raised his head, holding himself as something far beyond the Lillipup. The Lillipup fell into a fighting posture and growled at its arrogant opponent. Chili took on a battle stance of his own and gave the first order.

"Let's make this quick. Bite!" Lillipup rushed forward on command, then leapt in the air and opened its mouth, ready to sink its teeth into the enemy. Snivy darted to the side, Lillipup missed Snivy's chest by a fair margin and missed Snivy's tail by barely an inch.

Lillipup landed, and immediately whirled and repeated its effort. This time it managed to sink its teeth into Snivy's tail. The Grass type yelped and started to swing its tail from left to right in an attempt to shake Lillipup off, but the Normal type held strong.

"Get to the wall." Hilbert ordered. Snivy swiftly obeyed, eager for a chance to rid himself of the source of the stinging sensation in his tail. Snivy raced to the wall, then spun and slammed the Lillipup's side into the metal. The Lillipup held on with a single-minded determination, Snivy slammed it into the wall again, and on the third time the Lillipup finally let go.

"Knock it around some!" Chili called, Lillipup got up, bruised but still healthy. It rushed forward and slammed into Snivy, who was busy soothing his tail, knocking the Grass type off his feet and into the wall.

"Vine Whip!" Hilbert yelled, Snivy got back up and revealed its vine and swatted the Lillipup away as it tried to press the attack. The Lillipup tried to charge again, only to receive another vine to its face, this time knocked the Lillipup on its side. "Finish it!" Snivy retracted the vine and charged, crashing into the Lillipup's face and sending it rolling away, all the way back to Chili's feet.

Chili frowned, kneeling down and patting his Pokemon. "Oh, kid, if you wanted the volcano to erupt _that_ badly, why didn't you just say so?" He took his second, and apparently final, Pokeball out and released his Pansear. The monkey bounced up and down at first, then looked with a grin at its enemy. Snivy was somewhat worn out and was already taking deep breaths, the Lillipup had bit deep into the single most sensitive part of his body. Pansear was rested, ready, and would enjoy a elemental advantage. "You are _so_ in for it now!"

Snivy didn't have its usual cocky smirk, but neither did it look afraid. The pride overruled everything else. He stood quietly, waiting until either Hilbert or Chili made the first command.

"Pansear!" Chili called, starting things off. "Use Incinerate!" Not wasting any time, he decided to emphasize his elemental advantage immediately. Pansear started to roast, its fur catching fire, and it charged forward looking like a fireball.

"Snivy, get out of the way and, and then counter!" Hilbert ordered, not needing any proof to know that this was far more powerful then the Ember of Cheren's Tepig. Snivy moved as fast as he could and still only barely dodged the roaring flame. As Pansear reached the wall, its flame dispersed. It turned around to catch a Vine Whip to the face, followed by Snivy rushing forward and tackling Pansear hard in the chest.

_This is good._ Hilbert said, watching the Pansear get knocked back. _As long as Snivy and I can keep the Pansear from using a Fire type move, we-_

Pansear suddenly jumped back, slamming its head into Snivy's chest, knocking its enemy into the air.

"Incinerate again!" Chili called, Pansear surged forward again before Snivy had fallen back down. This time it caught Snivy with its fire, searing the Grass type before flinging it away, sending the burnt Pokemon flying back to Hilbert.

Snivy slowly opened its eyes once it had come to a complete stop. He put his hands down to push himself slowly, painfully, up. It had its pride, and it had defeated a Fire-type before, and it was _not_ about to lose to-

"Snivy, enough." Hilbert whispered almost right above his starter. Snivy looked up, and Hilbert slowly picked it up. "You're done, leave the rest to Pawniard." He placed Snivy upon the wall, letting it lean back and begin to rest. Bianca's Oshawott and Pansear came up to it, Snivy looked away from them and toward the battle, clearly it wasn't in the mood to talk to them.

Pawniard walked forward, taking a moment to grind the blade on the end of his arms against each other in an intimidating gesture. Hilbert had a new serious look in his eyes. He had to be sure that Pawniard was not hit with a Fire type attack, or else the Gym challenge would be over.

"Another Pokemon weak to fire. It's all too easy for me." Chili boasted, not noticing a distinct, disapproving glance coming from Cress. Chili would be lectured on how battles didn't begin and end with typing whether he won or lost. "Let's hurry up and get to me winning!"

Hilbert narrowed his eyes. He had already done some research on the Pokedex of what Pawniards were capable of, and was ready for this. "Pawniard, Scratch!" Pawniard leapt forward, it moved faster then the enemy Pansear expected, and it managed to easily make the first blow, nicking the Pansear's chest even as it tried to evade the attack.

Chili made a growl. "So your Pokemon is faster then I thought. It'll only take one good hit to send it off, just like your Snivy. Pansear, Incinerate this one too."

"Pawniard, get out of the way!" Pawniard obeyed swiftly, darting to the side of the flaming enemy, then whirling and following the Pansear to the edge of the room. "Right, Pawniard, use Fury Cutter!"

Almost the second the Pansear stopped, Pawniard was upon it, making several slashes across the enemy, then finishing with a final cut that knocked the Pansear away.

Pansear only grunted, still able to fight. It bounced around enthusiastically, looking like it was daring Pawniard to approach, and then Chili ordered the monkey to go on the offensive. Pansear ran forward, Pawniard dodged the palm thrust and jumped back, and then Pansear burned with its element.

Rushing forward, Pansear wanted to end the fight here and now. Hilbert suddenly called for a counter. Pawniard braced himself, putting his arms in front to block. The Pansear came at him and knocking Pawniard back through the air, but the burnt Pawniard landed on his feet. Injured and hurting only somewhat, it dashed forward and slashed past Pansear, stopping behind the Fire type who, after a moment of delay, collapsed on the ground.

"Aw, man." Chili shook his head. His defeat was registering, he shook his head and sighed deeply. Cilan gave a smile for his brother, the occasional defeat was just part of being a Gym Leader. On the other end of the room, Hilbert made a sigh of relief at his victory, and was suddenly being shaken by Bianca's arm on his shoulder. He was almost overwhelmed by the congratulations the girl began to give him for his first Gym victory.

Pawniard shook its head and started to walk back to Hilbert, who frowned. "Come on, Pawniard. At least help it get up."

Pawniard narrowed his eyes, then turned around and extended an arm. Pansear grabbed the wrist and pulled itself up to a standing position. It slowly went back to Chili.

"Seems you won." Chili muttered, putting his Pokemon back in their Pokeballs. "Just so you know, you defeated an _elite_ trainer recognized by the League."

Hilbert crossed his arms, and a smirk appeared on his face. "Is it okay for an 'elite' trainer to lose to someone who got his first Pokemon just yesterday?"

"I…" Chili opened his mouth to retort, but settled for a simple response. "Shut up."

"More seriously…" Cilan spoke up, stepping forward with an approachable look on his face. "All Gym Leaders have, ah, two teams. One they use for Gym challenges, like now, and a more 'regular' team they use for, well, other purposes. For example…" He took a Pokeball out and released a Pansage. The little monkey danced around Cilan's legs like it was dancing with tree trunks. "I would use this for a Gym challenge, but if, um, the battle is more important, I have this." He took a second Pokeball out, and released a different, very different looking Pokemon that balanced itself on three feet.

Hilbert blinked, then got his Pokedex out. "Ferrothorn?" He gaped, suspecting that this Pokemon could probably take both Snivy and Pawniard out with a single blow. It was clearly an older, and stronger Pokemon, who had seen no small amount of battle.

Cilan nodded. "Gym Leaders do, um, more then wait for challengers. We have to respond to various issues, some local, some national. We use our, well, 'regular' team when we do that. Though, since becoming Leaders there hasn't been a single national issue for the three of us to respond to."

Bianca tilted her head. "What are the other Gym Leaders like?"

A complete and utter silence crept in. The three brothers shared uncomfortable glances. Even Chili seemed uncharacteristically reluctant to speak, and then Cress stepped forward. "We… haven't met any of the other Gym Leaders personally."

"There isn't any kind of get-togethers?"

Cress sighed. "There are, but we've never attended them. Our duties to the restaurant, which is open seven days a week, from six in the morning to eleven at night, prevent us from going. The other Gym Leaders have day jobs that don't have such a restricting schedule."

Cilan stepped forward. "We don't… um, well, mind the fact that we miss out. Though, I think the other Leaders think that we, uh, give them the cold shoulder."

"Oh." Bianca looked down. "I… I'm sure they understand that there's something that is keeping you from meeting them."

Cilan smiled. "I hope so. I really wouldn't want them to think that we believe we're, well, better then them, or something."

Hilbert adjusted his hat and stepped forward. "What if we… asked every Gym Leader what they think of you? Put in a good word if they think badly of you?"

Cilan blinked. "That… that would actually be very nice. Thank you."

"Don't worry." Hilbert smiled, intending full well to go through with the deal he was making. "You three are… actually pretty cool. It'd be good to make sure the other leaders think well of you."

Chili smiled. "Alright. Be sure to tell them only the good stuff about us. Also, be sure to tell them that I'm the hottest, toughest Gym Leader ever!"

Hilbert blinked at the request, then smiled as he knew exactly how to respond to that. "I think I'll try to keep it non-fiction. Thank you."

"Before you go." Cress interrupted just as Hilbert was about to turn. He walked off to the side and moved to a undecorated box and opened it. He took an item wrapped it cloth out and closed the box, then returned to his brothers. "We'd be the laughing stock of the Pokemon League if we forgot to give you this." He handed the cloth to Cilan. Cilan took it, unwrapped it, and showed the item to Hilbert.

"This is the Trio Badge. Proof of your victory in Striaton Gym. Take it with pride, and try to collect the badges of the seven other Gyms across Unova."

Hilbert grabbed the badge, smiling as he let the piece of metal glint in the light briefly. He quietly put it in a small case. "I guess I'm done here." Making a farewell wave, he and Bianca left the Gym.

Chili turned to his brothers. "Well?"

Cilan tilted his head. "Well, what?"

"Isn't this the time you try to comfort me for my loss?"

Cress crossed his arms. "Chili. You lost. That's it."

The red haired brother looked indignant. "Oh, come on. Isn't this the part where you say 'The challenger just got lucky' or 'You were just having a bad day' or something?"

Cress smirked. "Oh, so your loving brothers are supposed to _lie_ so you can feel better about yourself."

* * *

Hilbert and Bianca left the gym. Hilbert looked up at the moon. It was getting late, but it wasn't even midnight yet. The activity in the city had settled down somewhat, Striaton was a city that _did_ sleep, it would seem. Only a few people were still walking the streets, and at this moment the population seemed about as dense as it was in Nuvema. He turned to Bianca, deciding that she deserved to have things her way for the rest of the night. "Are you still awake enough to sightsee?"

Bianca looked at him, her eyes widened, she clearly wasn't too tired if the look of excitement was anything to go off of. "Yes! Yes, let's-"

"Hey!" A female voice cut Bianca off. Hilbert and Bianca turned, Hilbert having a slightly irritated expression, at a woman who looked like she had been waiting outside of the Gym just for the two. She walked forward, Hilbert wasn't exactly sure if he liked the smile on her face. "Hilbert, right?"

"…Yes." Hilbert answered. "Should I know you?"

"We've never met, but I'm an old friend of Juniper." The woman answered. "My name is Fennel, and I want to show you two something. Could you follow me?" She took a step back and turned around, then stopped and looked over her shoulder to wait for their response.

"Wait…" Bianca blinked. She turned to Hilbert. "We… we were about to see the city. What just happened?"

Hilbert shrugged. "I don't know. I guess the whole world is just against you." Bianca frowned, Hilbert put hands on Bianca's shoulders. "Look, I'll make it up to you tomorrow, alright? We can spend the majority of the day just wandering around Striaton."

Bianca still looked disappointed, Hilbert wondered if she was going to try and push the point, but she instead conceded. "Alright. We have all of tomorrow."

* * *

The two followed Fennel, right up to her room on the second floor of a Striaton building. She turned around to look at the two again. "To repeat myself, my name is Fennel. Doctor Fennel. I study Pokemon dreams, but sometimes I'm more focused on studying Trainers."

"You study… Pokemon, Trainers." Hilbert repeated, crossing his arms while looking at Fennel's smile. He sighed. "I'll give you points for originality, but you're not my type."

"You…" The next words were snatched away as she realized what Hilbert said, and she began to sputter. "That wasn't, I… I mean, I didn't, um…" She continued for a moment, then took in a deep breath to compose herself. Clearing her throat, she spoke again with a little fluster in her cheeks. "I study the relationship between Trainers and Pokemon. I think you're a little young for me, Hilbert."

Hilbert just glanced at Fennel, biting back the comment he wanted to give and offered something else. "What is it you wanted to show us?"

Fennel turned to a large machine in the room. "This machine would allow me to collect data on various trainers. I've hit a bit of a standstill on my research, I need a certain something to really complete this project. I need something called Dream Mist to continue." She turned back to the two. "Dream Mist is given off by a Pokemon named Munna. Munna live at the Dreamyard, do you know where-"

"We were at the Dreamyard." Bianca spoke up. "I got my Pansear there," Her eyes twinkled slightly, she would always remember the Dreamyard as the place she found one of her companions at. "It's also where Hilbert found his Pawniard."

Fennel did a double-take. "You found a… _Pawniard_, at the Dreamyard?" Her voice sounded incredulous. "Those things are native to-"

"We know." Hilbert said, releasing his Pawniard from its Pokeball. Fennel turned her eyes to the Pawniard, belief only now registering in them. "They live at Route 9 and Route 11, I don't know why this little guy was at the Dreamyard."

The Pawniard turned and glared at his trainer, offended at being called a 'little guy'. It turned back to Fennel as the scientist approached and crouched down to look at it. "Maybe, it was exiled."

"Exiled?" Bianca tilted her head, not understanding.

"Pawniards live in moving clans. They're led around by a Bisharp, their evolved form. Sometimes… the Bisharp thinks that one of the Pawniards might someday threaten their position as the leader of the clan. So it kicks the Pawniard out of the clan. It's never a pleasant sight, because the Bisharp and Pawniard always get into a _very_ violent fight. But the Pawniard never wins."

She looked over Hilbert's Pawniard, the bruises all over it gave sad proof that being brutalized and then exiled by a Bisharp was exactly what happened to it. "The Pawniards that get exiled become bitter, understandably. They try to make a new home for themselves somewhere else, and by itself a Pawniard is unpredictable, and dangerous."

The Pawniard looked away, Fennel's theory of why it was at the Dreamyard touched a nerve… it stormed back to Hilbert's leg, not looking back at Fennel.

"Anyway." Fennel decided to change the subject. "I'd like to ask it as a favor. Could you two go to the Dreamyard and see if you could find any of Munna's Dream Mist?"

Hilbert turned to Bianca. She shrugged and smiled, Hilbert turned back and nodded. "Sure. We've got time, and apparently nothing better to do."

* * *

"I wonder how many times we're going to come here." Hilbert sighed, this was his second visit to the Dreamyard tonight. Though he hadn't _really_ gone into the Dreamyard, he supposed.

"Maybe we'll make a new friend?" Bianca suggested, trying to raise Hilbert's enthusiasm.

Hilbert tapped a foot and rolled his eyes. "I seriously doubt anything interesting is going to happen." He looked ahead to the only way to get deeper into the Dreamyard. "The only path in also seems to be blocked by a tree." He released Pawniard from its Pokeball. "Can you deal with this?"

Pawniard crossed his arms, then lunged and slashed the slender tree at its base, letting the wood fall down. Hilbert recalled Pawniard and led Bianca into the Dreamyard.

They began to search for a Munna, or anything that looked like Dream Mist. It did not go well, they encountered just about every other Pokemon that might have lived in the Dreamyard besides Munna. Most of what was native to the Dreamyard was brave in the face of Snivy, but would run to little hiding holes when Pawniard appeared. The buildings of the Dreamyard had a confusing design and were almost maze-like, the two managed to get lost a few times.

The minutes ticked on by, Hilbert looked with exasperation up at the moon above them. He yawned, at this point he was far more interested in a bed then in Dream Mist. He turned his head to find Bianca, and suggest that maybe they could come back tomorrow. The Munna, however many might be at the Dreamyard, would probably be easier to find in the daytime. The Pokemon might have already gone to some den for tonight. Tomorrow they would just-

"Munna!" He heard Bianca suddenly yell. He turned and saw the girl, she turned to Hilbert and pointed at a little Pokemon hovering through the air. Hilbert pulled his Pokedex out and scanned the Pokemon.

"Yes, definitely a Munna." He put his Pokedex away. He noticed, and ignored how Bianca was obviously getting endeared to the Munna's little movements. "Now… how do we get some Dream Mist? Scare it?" He suspected Pawniard could do a good job at that, but…

A rustling sound came from the side. Munna turned to the sound and shivered, looking like it understood exactly what had made the sound.

"It's about time you appeared." A man said as he and a woman both appeared out of the grass and, in a manner that did not in any way seem friendly, approached and surrounded the Munna. Suddenly, he grabbed the Munna and pulled it to him. "Dream Mist, right _now_!"

The Munna made a small cry, which became a squeal as the man started to squeeze.

"What th-" Hilbert couldn't believe what they were seeing. From out of nowhere, two people had just suddenly started to brutalize the Munna.

"Who are you?" Bianca demanded, stepping forward. "And, _what_, do you think you're doing to Munna?"

"Who are we?" The man relaxed his hold on the Munna slightly, letting it breath comfortably again, but not letting it go. "We…"

The woman turned a very hostile face toward Hilbert and Bianca. "…are Team Plasma. We fight every waking moment to free Pokemon from cruel, unflinching human hands. As for what we're doing…"

Hilbert's mind suddenly flashbacked to Accumula Town, and the speech given by Ghetsis of Team Plasma. And of N, the boy close to his age who sought the freedom of Pokemon, not unlike Team Plasma.

The man continued for the woman. "Munna's Dream Mist allows people to see dreams as reality. Team Plasma can use that to influence people around the world to see how Pokemon suffer under them. It will convince them to free their Pokemon, and if they won't even after they see that, we can take their Pokemon by force and free them."

"You mean steal them." Hilbert said coolly. He was beyond repulsed. He had been willing to stop and think about Team Plasma's mission statement, but, after _this_?

The Plasma agents ignored Hilbert's words and put their attention back on the Munna. The woman spoke to the little terrified creature. "Dream Mist now, it's for your own good. You don't understand what we can do to you if you don't cooperate."

The man dropped the Munna, and the woman raised a foot and pinned it on the ground. The little thing squirmed and flailed, but couldn't fight the weight pressing on it. Bianca had had enough and rushed forward. "How can you do that? You're Trainers too, aren't you? How would you like it if someone did that to your Pokemon?"

"Yeah, we're Trainers." The male Plasma agent responded. "The difference between me and someone like you is that we're fighting for the freedom of Pokemon everywhere. Including the ones enslaved by other Trainers. So it's time to free _your_ Pokemon."

As the female kept the Munna pinned down with her boot, the male stepped forward, taking a Pokeball out. "You're a preachy girl, so I'll liberate your Pokemon first."

Bianca shuddered and took a fearful step back. Hilbert, instead, stepped forward. He took one of his own Pokeballs out. "Don't expect that I'm going to sit here and let anyone threaten her like that."

"H-Hilbert…" Bianca looked fearfully at her friend. "Stop, they'll hurt y-"

"Stay back, Bianca." Hilbert ordered, releasing Snivy. The Grass type narrowed his eyes, having heard everything from inside the Pokeball, and it was just as repulsed as its trainer right now.

The Plasma grunt let out a Patrat. The little Pokemon looked… dark. The Pokemon of the Plasma grunt postured, looking like it lived and breathed combat. Snivy, who had been undeterred by anything it had faced so far, was a little bothered by the almost demented look in the Patrat's eye.

"Patrat." The Plasma agent spoke, "Tackle. Let's take our time showing the kid how weak he is." The Patrat darted forward, moving far faster then Hilbert expected. He called for a dodge, and Snivy managed to dart out of the way. The Patrat swiftly shot past its enemy, but seemed to effectively bounce off a wall, turning around and continuing with its given order.

Hilbert reversed his order, telling Snivy to hold his ground. Snivy put his feet firmly on the ground and let the Patrat come to him. He caught the Patrat with his hands, and though he initially skidded back a bit, he stopped his enemy's single-minded charge. With his hands still on the Patrat's head, he spun around, carrying the Patrat with the movements, then let go, tossing the Patrat at a wall.

The Pokemon slumped down, unconscious after impacting the hard wall head first. The Plasma grunt stared aghast at the sight of his Patrat felled by a single blow from some kid's Pokemon.

"But…" The words came out slowly, fighting back the shock. "You're just some kid. I'm a righteous member of Team-"

"Seriously?" The woman asked. She took her boot off of the Munna and walked forward, the Munna was too scared to try and get away as its tormentor moved off. "Did you get stupid because they're kids? Let me handle this for you, idiot."

The woman released a Purrloin. This one hissed, looking just slightly stronger then the Patrat. The Plasma grunt who controlled the Purrloin narrowed her eyes. "It goes without saying that I'm by far the better here, but I won't go easy on you. Purrloin! Fury Swipes."

The Purrloin dashed forward, looking to rake its claws across Snivy. Snivy jumped back, Purrloin missed with its claws the first time, but moved barely an inch forward and managed to slightly slash Snivy the second time, and deeply the third time before it jumped back.

Just a minor twitch of discomfort in Snivy's eyes, he obeyed the order for Vine Whip. A quick snap of the slender vine forced Purrloin away, but it quickly came again, evading Snivy's vine and ready to do serious, life-threatening damage to Snivy.

"Wrap!" Hilbert called. As the Purrloin jumped with the intent of sinking its claws into Snivy, Snivy leapt on it and snaked itself around the Purrloin's midsection. They both plummeted from the sky, Snivy still wrapped tight around the Purrloin, clearly in a way that was bringing great discomfort for the cat. It thrashed around on the ground, but it couldn't get its claws near Snivy, nor could it sink its teeth into anything.

Eventually Purrloin's struggles slowed. Snivy released the cat. Purrloin rested for a moment, it looked like the fight was over.

"Get up!" It's trainer called. "I am _not_ failing this operation because of a stupid kid!" The Purrloin, suddenly reenergized by the threatening tone of its Trainer, got back up unnervingly quickly and immediately made a deep cut on Snivy's chest.

"Snivy. Get it up in the air, and then back on the ground." Snivy nodded, able to immediately understand what its trainer's strategies meant. He waited for the Purrloin to approach. It moved to the side as the Purrloin charged and grabbed the Pokemon's tail. Snivy spun around in rapid succession, swinging Purrloin like it was a ball-n-chain.

He eventually released the Purrloin, tossing it into the air, then extended his Vine Whip and let it wrap around the Purrloin's body. With a swing, he forced the Purrloin back into the ground.

The Purrloin tried to stand up, tried to ignore the throbbing pain. It got up to its shaking feet, but then collapsed back down.

"I… I can't believe I lost, too." The Plasma grunt hissed through her teeth, looking at the Snivy that had single-handedly taken her Purrloin and her accomplice's Patrat out. "Fine. Forget about liberating their Pokemon." She whirled and went back to the Munna who was trembling right where she had left it. "Let's just get the Dream Mist and-"

"…failures who could not accomplish such a simple task." A voice came from nowhere. Both of the Plasma agents shuddered, feeling the chills going down their spines at a voice they would always recognize. They turned to see none other then Ghetsis of Team Plasma looking harshly at them, and then he was suddenly gone, almost like he had just blinked out of existence.

"What was-"

"We of Team Plasma shall liberate Pokemon from the hands of the cruel and merciless." Ghetsis spoke again from another angle. "I implore you to think…" He suddenly vanished again.

The male Plasma agent took in a slow gasp. "Ghetsis… knows we just failed." The other took in a slow, fearful breath. This assignment seemed simplicity itself, and Ghetsis was here, seeing how they failed because of a pair of nosy, anonymous kids.

"Let's get out of here." The girl said. "And… and think of a way to apologize to him. We have to _somehow_ be given a second chance!" They made small, jerky movements at first, then moved with full speed, scooping up their Pokemon and fleeing with all possible haste out of the Dreamyard.

Hilbert blinked as they ran past him. The members of Team Plasma were already forgotten, including the mysteriously appearing and vanishing Ghetsis. "Is Munna…" He looked toward the little Pokemon, it was trembling, but starting to rise. He turned to his next priority.

Bianca was just standing there, trembling just like the Munna. He walked up to her. "Are you okay, Bianca?"

"I…" She started, then swallowed whatever lump was in her throat. "I'm the one who should be asking that, Hilbert. Why did you put yourself in danger like that?"

"For the Munna." Was the first thing he said, "And more importantly, they were trying to steal your Pokemon." He sounded confident. All things considered, the Plasma lackeys were actually quite weak compared to Chili, even if their Pokemon were strangely intimidating looking.

Bianca looked down at her Pokeballs. Oshawott and Pansear were safely in them, not stolen by those two thieves, thanks to Hilbert.

She suddenly felt something pushing down on her head. She realized that Hilbert's hand was on her hat. This was his way of comforting her, she took in a slow breath and looked ahead. "Where did Ghetsis come from, and where did he go?"

Hilbert turned around. It was a good question, and he knew he had seen Ghetsis. The Munna was floating by itself now, and it made a small cry to a corner. Hilbert took an uncomfortable step back as a very large Pokemon appeared.

"Musharna." Bianca read from her Pokedex. The large thing moved up to the Munna. Munna seemed grateful of the Musharna's presence, moving to it and trembling for comfort.

"It's Munna's mom." Hilbert said, looking at how affectionately the Musharna responded to Munna. "Mother and… daughter, I think." The Munna… looked like a girl to him. He took in a breath as the Musharna left with her child. A moment after they left, it started to dawn on him that in the unexpected fight with the Plasma grunts, they never got any Dream Mist.

"You two!" Hilbert jumped, turning and seeing Fennel. She had a clearly impatient look on her face. "I wondered what was taking so long, so I came here myself. Did you find Munna?"

Bianca looked to the side. "Well, yes, but we-" She launched into a… very broad explanation as to what happened. She mentioned that they found Munna, but ran into trouble with Team Plasma, and the appearance of the Musharna.

Fennel put a hand to her cheek. "I think I got that. Musharna saw that Munna was in danger, and used Dream Mist to save Munna. Musharna are tricky, they can use Dream Mist to-" Her eyes were panning to the area behind Hilbert and Bianca, and she noticed, something, on the ground behind them. Her eyes widened in realization and she suddenly dropped the discussion, zooming ahead and getting to what was on the ground.

Fennel looked at a small collection of… something on the ground, and suddenly made a fist pump. "This is Dream Mist! The Munna must have given some off."

Hilbert leaned forward to look at the Dream Mist. It looked like… he wasn't sure how to put it, ethereal dirt? He turned to Fennel. "So, Munna, _pooped_ some Dream Mist out?"

"That is an _extremely_ crude way of putting it, Hilbert." Fennel gave a little glare through her glasses. "But, yes. Now that I have this, I can continue my research. You two should come back to my room tonight." She started to scoop up the Dream Mist on the ground. "I can at least offer you a night's stay. Just come back whenever."

She finished collecting the Dream Mist and was already heading back to the city with full speed. Hilbert sighed at the sight and looked at Bianca. "And I thought _you _were excitable." Bianca only cocked her head, seemingly failing to understand what Hilbert was saying. Hilbert looked up, it had to be close to midnight at this point. "What next? Should we head back to Fennel's?"

"Not yet." Bianca said, to Hilbert's chagrin. "I want to find that Munna again." Hilbert opened his mouth to speak, but failed to say anything before Bianca ran off again. He pushed two fingers into his forehead, not in any mood to start searching again, and slowly began to follow the girl.

* * *

"There you are!" Bianca cried after nearly twenty minutes of fruitless searching. The Munna turned to the human and backed away, shivering. "No, no, I'm okay." Bianca reassured, taking very slow steps ahead and getting to her knees. "I won't hurt you."

The Munna made a cautious, tentative approach. Then stopped when it was barely arms length from Bianca. She reached and, gently, put her arms on it. The Munna shuddered, wondering if it was about to be squeezed, but nothing so horrible happened. It was instead pulled into a hug that comforted and calmed rather then hurt and horrified.

The minutes crept on by, Bianca was eventually playing with the Munna like it was the pet she always had. Hilbert stood just a few steps away from the two. The Munna glanced at him occasionally, but he apparently wasn't all that interesting.

"So, Munna." Bianca said slowly as the little Pokemon floated around her. "Would you want to leave with me?"

It bobbed, Hilbert wasn't sure what answer it was giving to Bianca's question. Then Hilbert heard a deep sound, and saw the Musharna appear. Bianca's breath caught in her throat and she backed up slightly. Munna suddenly darted forward toward her mother and made several odd little gestures. The Musharna responded in its own language, and the mother and daughter shared a conversation.

Eventually, the Musharna approached the Munna and bumped her head upon her daughter's. Hilbert wanted to assume that it was some equivalent of a kiss. The Munna turned away and went back to Bianca. The Musharna slowly floated away.

"The mother was willing to let go." Hilbert noted, looking at Bianca's newest Pokemon, the same Munna he had by some chance come to the aid of just a short while earlier. Bianca just looked at her newest teammate. Hilbert couldn't help but contrast the Musharna with Bianca's dad. He, unlike Musharna, had been stubbornly against the idea of the child leaving in any way.

_Strange._ Hilbert mused, looking at the Musharna and thinking of his own mom, who had accepted her son leaving. _I thought moms were the ones who were psychos about not letting go._ He pondered for a moment longer, then shook his head. He walked up to Bianca and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's really time we got back to Fennel's place."

Bianca looked up at Hilbert and nodded. The Munna floated casually near Bianca's head, then accepted being put into a Pokeball. She would end her first day of adventure with three Pokemon.

* * *

"Oh, you're back." Fennel was already researching data, beginning the experiments that the Dream Mist had allowed her to start. She smiled. "There is so much I can do now. You have no idea how much you helped me." She gestured toward a computer while she looked at the two. "It's not much, but why don't you take a glance at one of the Pokemon I and Juniper have been doing some research on lately?"

Hilbert and Bianca walked over. They took one look at the picture on the screen and they both drew back.

"What… _is_, that thing?"

"It… it's called a Garbodor." Fennel said, a little bothered by Hilbert's tone. "It's like a toxic trash bag, in a sense. I suppose it's not the most glamorous Pokemon, but who are we to judge?"

Hilbert and Bianca shared a glance, both looking equally displeased at the sight of this… Pokemon. Hilbert looked at the picture, and a thought struck him.

"This may be a stupid question, but, which way is it looking?"

"It's looking at us. See? It's looking at the camera."

"No, Bianca. That, ah, _there_ are its eyes. Its looking at something to the left of the camera. _That_ thing, I don't think I want to know what's pointing at the camera."

"Excuse me!" Fennel interrupted Hilbert and Bianca's discussion. "It's not the prettiest or the cutest Pokemon in the world, but it really shouldn't be talked about like that. Just because it's, um, somewhat unpleasant, doesn't mean that it should be mocked." She sat down and tapped her fingers on a desk. "Regardless, I do have two beds ready for you when you decide to go to sleep. Pokemon Centers will allow a trainer to stay the night for free, but they're beds aren't as comfortable as mine. The cushion and sheets should be just as good as your beds from Nuvema. Any questions?"

Hilbert stroked his chin for a moment, then nodded. "You're not going to try and crawl into my bed, rig-"

"I wasn't." Fennel began, almost showing grinding teeth. "Trying. To hit. On you."

"Okay, okay." Hilbert raised up his hands to surrender the point. "I'm not sure about Bianca, but I'll head to one of those beds now."

* * *

The position of the moon signaled that the hour of midnight had begun. Hilbert and Bianca had already fallen asleep, there was little activity in the building Fennel lived in. Even the doctor had gone to bed, the only movement came from Pokemon.

Pawniard was at one of the windows, staring at the moon. He kept the image as the sole focus of his gaze for a long moment, then slowly lowered his head, his mind filled with many unpleasant memories.

"_Hey._" Snivy walked up, tilting his head from side to side. "_Do you get tired at all?_"

Pawniard looked at Snivy, then just shrugged. "_I'll get to sleep eventually. I just don't need much sleep._"

Snivy took a moment to look at the same moon Pawniard was looking at. Without looking away from the moon, he spoke again. "_The doctor girl, how right was she when she guessed how you got to the Dreamyard?_"

The Dark and Steel type turned his head to glare at the Grass type. Slowly, he answered the question. "_Completely._"

"_So, you were kicked out of your clan? Miss any of your old friends?_"

"_I wouldn't be a Pawniard if I _did_ miss anyone._" Came the cold reply. "_I've seen kin get exiled and wasn't bothered by it. That's just how life in a clan worked. If you were strong, but didn't get on Bisharp's bad side, you could stay. Make an error, and you won't be with the clan anymore. I had the misfortune of being exiled because I just seemed too strong to Bisharp._"

Snivy looked over Pawniard, there was no shortage of bruises, some seemed to have been inflicted on him a long time ago. "_Bisharp beat you pretty bad, I'm guessing?_"

"_I never actually managed to hurt him… but it wasn't quite as one-sided as you probably think it was._" Pawniard raised his left arm and moved the blade across the large blade sticking out of his forehead. "_I snapped off half the blade coming out of his head in the fight. It was the ultimate final insult I could throw at him. Though it also meant that he hurt me more before he and the clan left me on the side of the road._"

The Grass type nodded, then yawned. "_Well, that's a pleasant thing to talk about before we go to bed. You should focus less on how you were abandoned and more on how I'll outperform you in _every_ category on Hilbert's journey._"

Pawniard blinked and turned away from the moon and to Snivy. "_You're a cocky one. Perhaps I'm in the mood for some gardening._"

"_Oh, scary scary._" Snivy snickered at the threat. "_And I am not cocky, I'm just unafraid to recognize and celebrate the fact that I'm superior to just about everything around me. I'm Hilbert's favorite for a reason. But if you can perform reasonably okay on the rest of Hilbert's journey, I might be generous enough to let 'Hilbert's second most favorite' be a little title for you._"

Snivy raised his tail arrogantly and walked off. Pawniard turned back to the moon, and had only barely begun to again reflect on his battle with Bisharp when something else approached it.

"_You want to play a game, Pawniard?_" Oshawott scampered next to Pawniard. Pansear and Munna were right behind it. "_I found a book of connect-the-dots! We can draw something just by connecting the dots!_"

Pawniard lightly closed his eyes.

"_I found a color-by-number book._" Munna announced with pride. "_We can become artists! Want to become an artist, Pawniard?_"

The head of the Dark and Steel type leaned forward, by some miracle the blade coming from his head didn't leave a mark on the glass. "_Oh._" The thick sarcasm in his voice was so impossible to ignore, and yet so completely missed by Bianca's Pokemon. "_This just has fun written all _over_ it._"

* * *

**Please review.**


	5. Day Care

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"_Did he die in his sleep?_" Pawniard looked at his trainer, still asleep in bad after perhaps ten hours of sleep. Hilbert didn't even look close to waking, but Pawniard was sure the human had gotten more then enough sleep. It was well past morning, it would be noon before long. Pawniard wanted to get going right now.

"_Apperantly, he always sleeps this hard._" Snivy walked up to Pawniard's side. "_I had to wake him up last morning by jumping onto his gut. Best way to wake him up is to force him to get up._"

Pawniard glanced at Snivy, then nodded and turned back to Hilbert. "_I'm on it._" He raised one of his bladed arms.

"_Whoa._" Snivy grabbed Pawniard's arm to stop the movement. "_I do _not_ think Hilbert would appreciate being woken up like that._" Snivy put Pawniard's arm down and thought for a moment. The room didn't have anything he could climb up, so he couldn't repeat what he did yesterday. He began to think of some other way Hilbert might be woken up. Neither he or Pawniard was really strong enough to raise up a bucket full of water, let alone hoist it up to the head of the bed and dump it on Hilbert. Of course, Hilbert would have a none too graceful reaction to that.

The sleeping Hilbert rolled onto his side. Pawniard looked at the skin of the back of Hilbert's neck, and had an idea. Walking past Snivy and bearing one of his blades, the steel comprising them most likely ice-cold considering the temperature in the room right now, he poked at a sensitive nerve on the human's neck.

The eyes of their trainer suddenly snapped open and he spasmed at the sensation that shot through his body. He leapt up to a sitting position with a small yelp of surprise, his hands were already going to his neck to try and determine what made that stinging cold sensation. Taking several moments to calm down, he slowly turned to Pawniard, and then to Snivy, who looked amused.

"Waking me up like this had better not become a habit of yours." He glared at both of his Pokemon, his neck still tingling. The Pokemon shared a glance, then just turned back to Hilbert and shrugged. Hilbert sighed at his pair of living, breathing alarm clocks and reached for his nearby hat. "Where's Bianca?"

He had barely gotten the question out when the door opened. Fennel stuck her head in. "Oh, you're awake. Bianca told me you'd probably sleep much longer."

Hilbert threw the covers off. He had decided to sleep in his clothes, the only thing he wasn't wearing at this point were his shoes. He looked at Fennel. "So sorry your plan to get into my bed didn't work out."

Fennel's eyebrow twitched, but she held herself back from the comment she wanted to give. "Your friend is waiting downstairs, so hurry up. You're not supposed to keep a lady waiting." She left the doorframe and went back to the hall.

Hilbert grunted and looked toward his shoes. "I assume she meant Bianca and not Hilda. Because 'lady' is _not_ the correct descriptive term for Hilda."

* * *

"You're awake!" Bianca saw Hilbert come down the stairs and immediately rushed to him. "What woke you up?"

Hilbert frowned. Was his tendency to sleep-in _really_ so extreme that him waking up before noon meant that something external had to have woken him up? "One of my two biological alarm clocks is to blame."

Bianca smirked, Hilbert sighed. "Oh, Hilbert, remember your promise from yesterday?"

'Promise' was the wrong word, but Hilbert nodded regardless. "Yes. We'll be checking out the whole city."

"Have fun, you two." Fennel said. "Once you're done sight-seeing, head west to Striaton Park and north to Route 3. I'll stay here and-"

"Wait for a new teenage boy to flirt with?"

"Yes. Wait for a new, uh…" Fennel suddenly shuddered, and her hands went up to her face. "Hilbert. If you make another comment like that, I am going to get unhealthily angry. Just… go."

Hilbert smirked, taking a moment to give Fennel a final comment, then he turned to Bianca and patted her on the shoulder. The two left.

* * *

Striaton City felt completely different in the daytime. The street was lively, but not crowded, and it honestly didn't feel quite as energetic as it seemed when the two first came to the city last night. There was enough light from the sun that there was no need for electronic light, and somehow the city felt calmer and quieter. Hilbert let Bianca have her way for now and lead him around the streets, letting her see the things that caught the attention of her curious eyes.

"Oh, aren't they precious, Hilbert?" Bianca asked as the two passed by one of their many stops, a doll shop. She looked at little plush dolls of various Pokemon. She turned to Hilbert, expecting an answer from him.

He sighed. "Yes… Bianca. They are… cute." He looked at the same bundle of dolls that Bianca was looking at, it was dolls of Pokemon that were not at all native to Unova. He looked at a doll of a Beedrill, a Sableye, and a Weavile, and he wondered how this was supposed to be 'precious' in any way. He was relieved that Bianca wasn't interested in buying any of the dolls, or that the thought simply hadn't crossed her mind. They _had_ money, but Hilbert would rather spend money on much more important things.

Bianca suddenly yanked him away to examine something else. For at least an hour Bianca was dragging Hilbert all around Striaton to examine every 'cute' and 'adorable' thing she could find. Though Striaton was obviously not a center of entertainment, there was a lot to catch the girl's interest. She didn't ever notice that Hilbert was bored beyond imagination. Finally, there was a lack of new and fresh things for her to admire.

"We should get going to Nacrene City now." Bianca eventually said, she almost frowned at the obvious relief that appeared in Hilbert's face, but just kept talking. "I could spend days just looking around Striaton, but we shouldn't stay here too long, or we might be spending the night here again."

"Finally." Hilbert called, grabbing Bianca's shoulder and starting to haul her off. In that hour he had grown completely sick of Striaton City, and he wanted the mercy of being able to leave. Bianca was annoyed at how Hilbert was responding to this like it was some blessed release, but it was better to leave now. If they had to stay at Fennel's again tonight, Hilbert, who seemed to take amusement out of provoking Fennel, would probably make the doctor turn violent.

They paused in the Park outside of the city, taking a moment to examine the flow of water and the bushes. The greenery has been carefully cut into some strange, somewhat amusing shapes that Hilbert had to chuckle at. Hilbert wondered if the water flowing through the park was used for personal recreational pleasure, like for swimming. He would confirm that before he took that chance, he wasn't about to commit any kind of social error. He wouldn't let Bianca take that risk either, and the two of them just hurried along.

"So, what is this place?" Bianca asked as they came across a building alongside Route 3. It wasn't the most glamorous looking place, much humbler then any of the city buildings, but there was the ringing sound of childish laughter nearby that made the place seem somehow welcoming.

Hilbert would have said that approaching would have been snooping, but Bianca had already stepped forward to sate her curiosity. As the girl wondered what the place was… someone suddenly approached the two.

"Who are you two?" An elderly woman asked them, Hilbert cringed. There wasn't anything hostile about her tone, and her approachable face made it seem like she was simply curious as to what the two were doing. Even so, Hilbert moved to diffuse any suspicion.

"Just… Pokemon Trainers." Hilbert said. "We just left Striaton City. We… didn't mean to trespass, just," He made a glare with no malice at Bianca, then turned back to the elder. "We got curious. Sorry."

The woman nodded, Hilbert expected that she would briskly suggest that they be on their way, but she unexpectedly smiled at them. "Pokemon Trainers are welcome at the Pokemon Day Care."

Hilbert blinked at the words. "Day Care?"

"We hold a Trainer's Pokemon and raise them for the Trainer, and the Trainer can pick up the Pokemon later. The Pokemon spend time in the playground, and play with the local elementary class. In fact, another boy and girl pair came here at early dawn and have been entertaining the kids since."

"Hey…" Bianca brought a finger up to her lip, making the face that Hilbert hated. The one that showcased some turning gears in her head. "Can we show the elementary students our Pokemon too?"

Hilbert lightly closed his eyes in exasperation, but the Day Care Woman politely nodded. "Yes, the students would love to see more Pokemon. Especially ones they haven't seen before. The Trainers with them right now are probably getting tired anyway." She inclined her head in the direction of the playground. "Please come with me."

They came to the playground, and, yes, there was another pair here entertaining the kids. The two Pokemon running around, however, somehow seemed to be owned by only one of the two. Hilbert took a second glance at the two his age, and realized that he knew both of them very, very well.

Cheren met Hilbert's expression and made a slight tilt of his head. He turned to Hilda and whispered for her to watch the children playing with his Pokemon before he went over to Hilbert and Bianca.

"Finally done with Striaton?" Cheren asked. "I got my Trio Badge, Hilda and I stayed at the Pokemon Center… not the most comfortable beds in the world, and left at the crack of dawn."

Hilbert smirked. "I got the Trio Badge as well, but I stayed at a local doctor's place. The beds were very comfortable."

Cheren's brows furrowed slightly. He arced his back, looking a little sore. "Those beds at the Center were _very_ uncomfortable. Anyway. I had wanted to get past Route 3 with all possible speed, but Hilda decided to investigate this place. Before I knew it, I was agreeing to entertain the kids."

Hilbert looked at what Cheren had released to entertain the children. Tepig looked to be enjoying racing with the little kids, though it seemed to lose the majority of them. It might have been letting the kids win to let them feel good about themselves, he knew that Snivy would not have been so courteous to the school children. He turned to see some kids playing with another Pokemon, a little Dark type.

"A Purrloin?" Hilbert asked out loud, looking at the Pokemon before turning to Cheren, who sighed.

"I had hoped to catch you off-guard the next time we had a battle… but now you've seen it." He looked at Hilbert out of the corner of his eye. "It has a bit of an attitude, but it grew accustomed to these kids real fast. Though I recall Hilda going on the warpath when someone tried to put Purrloin's paws in little bags."

There was no way for Hilbert to repress the smile. Hilda always had been the one with the temper. Cheren looked like he was about to change the subject, when some of the kids rushed up to Hilbert, Cheren, and Bianca.

"Do you have Pokemon too?" One of the children asked, looking straight at Hilbert. "Lemme see!"

"Calm down." An older woman walked by. She was older then Hilbert, but clearly much, much younger then the Day Care lady. "Hello, Trainers. I'm the teacher of this class, every school day we take a trip to the Day Care. Today is eventful because of Cheren's Pokemon." She turned and smiled at Cheren, whose face remained impassive. She turned back to Hilbert and Bianca. "Not to be a bother… but if you two are Trainers, and your Pokemon are nice, can you show them to my students?"

"Well…" Hilbert crossed his arms and leaned his head down. "One of my Pokemon can't really be called 'nice', but he's not exactly 'mean' either."

Cheren did a double-take. "One of… you've caught a second Pokemon?"

Hilbert nodded, then moved a hand to his Pokeballs, both Snivy and Pawniard came out. The students made a collection of 'oohs' at both Pokemon that none of them had seen before.

"T-that's a…" The teacher looked at the Pawniard, and was starting to tense as some of her students started to approach a Pokemon that, as a species, were renown for their violent and cruel behavior.

"Careful." Hilbert took a step forward, then knelt down and put a hand on Pawniard's shoulder. "This is a Pokemon that… would rather be stared at and admired then played with."

The students stopped, then turned their attention to the Snivy. Immediately one of the little girls picked it up and hugged it like it was a beloved stuffed doll. Others surrounded the Snivy, the little Grass snake smirked as it was the complete center of attention.

"Do you have Pokemon too, miss?" One of the little girls asked Bianca. Bianca looked down and smiled, taking her three Pokeballs out.

Snivy, Oshawott, Pansear, and Munna joined Tepig and Purrloin in playing with the kids. Pawniard seemed inclined to stay near Hilbert's leg. Hilbert did not believe that Pawniard would have actually attacked any of the kids, but it would have been better to not take any chances. The thing was small, but it was already clear to Hilbert that it had a cold mentality, and was rarely in the mood for games.

Hilda had rejoined the three, she looked exhausted after humoring one too many games of tag with both the kids and Pokemon. The four sat together as the Pokemon played with the kids.

Bianca looked at the children, making sure that no one was being mean to the Pokemon, and a thought struck her. "Weren't we that age when the four of us first met?"

Cheren blinked, then slowly nodded. "Yes, we were all in the same class, since we're the same age." He took a moment to stroke his chin. "Well, we were in the same class, how exactly did we meet and become friends?"

They collectively thought. They had all been friends for so long it was hard to think that there was a time where they weren't. Finally, Hilda's eyes widened. "Wasn't it because of that bully?"

"I…" Cheren was about to say something, but his mind was suddenly flooded by memories. Yes, in elementary school back in Nuvema there was the obligatory school thug. One time in class Bianca had been getting scared by a picture of a Scolipede, and when the teacher walked out of the room one of the students grabbed the picture off of the teacher's desk and thrust it in Bianca's face.

Hilda and Hilbert, at almost the exact same time, got out of their school desks to try and defend Bianca. The other kid hid the picture behind him so they couldn't yank it from him, but Cheren decided to sneak up behind the thug and swipe the picture and immediately shove it into the paper shredder.

When the teacher came in just second later, Cheren managed to convince her that the boy who had been harassing Bianca was the one who had shredded the picture. The kid, who already had a record, got an in-school suspension for that. After the class, Hilda was the first who came to Bianca to see if she was okay, but Hilbert and Cheren came by only minutes later.

They spent the rest of the day after school together. It wasn't all together dissimilar to their modern get togethers, though they undoubtedly had more immature mindsets compared to now. They decided to meet again tomorrow, and the day after, until meeting each other was just a ritual for the four. Unlike many other friendships, their's lasted.

Of course, they had their differences. They were eventually ironed out, and they accepted that the others were just different in some areas.

Hilbert smiled. "So, how does life now compare to life then?"

Hilda thought for a moment. "I guess it was more fun, I-" She suddenly paused for no clear reason. "Hey, I am _not_ old. I am too young to be thinking about how better things might have been 'back in the day'."

Bianca started to laugh at Hilda's self-conscious attitude about her age. Then Cheren suddenly stood up.

"It's a fun discussion, but I'd rather wait until we're much further into this journey before we think about what we've been through as a group. I've settled upon a goal on this journey…"

"What's the goal?" Hilbert asked honestly. Cheren looked straight at Hilbert, then looked almost longingly at the case that Hilbert was keeping his Trio Badge in.

"In a minute. First things first…" He walked off, starting to speak to the elementary teacher and the Day Care lady. After a moment he returned. "I want to challenge you again, the teacher and the Day Care lady are okay with that. Just as long as we take it a little away from the playground.

Hilbert thought for a moment, then nodded as he grabbed his hat and stood up. "Sure. Getting a third win off of you sounds like fun."

"Cute arrogance. I think you're starting to take after Snivy." Cheren turned back to the playground, he called and Tepig and Purrloin came back to him. Pawniard was still by Hilbert's leg, so Hilbert only needed to call his Snivy back.

Hilbert and Cheren walked off, leaving Bianca and Hilda at the playground. Bianca decided to watch her Pokemon as they continued to play with the kids, but she would silently root for Hilbert all the same.

As she and Hilda watched the children, neither of them heard a rustle in the grass right behind them…

* * *

"This seems like a good enough spot." Cheren said before turning around to face Hilbert. The battle was going to be held on a stretch of road a little past the Day Care. He reached for his first Pokeball. "I'll tell you my goal on this journey after the battle."

"Win or lose?"

Cheren nodded. "All I'm interested in right now is the battle. I don't plan on losing either." He made a knife sharp glare, and released his Purrloin. "I'll soften you up first. The fact that both of your Pokemon have a weakness to Fire isn't lost on me."

"I learned, more so at Striaton Gym then at our last fight, how types effect the battle. I also know that the strength of the Pokemon can outstrip the benefits of elements." He grabbed one of his Pokeballs, and released Snivy. Snivy postured, looking at the Purrloin opposite of it, and his eyes glinted somewhat oddly.

Hilbert looked at the expression, and he knew that Snivy was thinking about the last Purrloin they had fought. The Purrloin that belonged to that Team Plasma agent in the Dreamyard… Cheren's Purrloin, as determined as it looked, was very friendly looking in comparison.

"…Do you honestly think you can divide your attention against me?" Cheren called, looking almost insulted that Hilbert didn't seem to be focusing on the battle.

Hilbert jolted himself out of the memory, then looked at Cheren. "I was just distracted for a moment. Calm down, I'll give you the beat down you seem to want." He and Snivy both gave cocky smirks, but then Hilbert's smile faded. If Bianca decided to speak to Hilda or Cheren or even both of them about it, then fine, but he decided against telling Cheren about his encounter with Team Plasma.

Tearing the thought out of his head entirely, he focused on Cheren and the battle. Snivy braced himself, ready for combat. The Purrloin lowered itself, raising the fur and arcing its back on the eve of battle.

Cheren saw the figurative trophy of victory. He made the first move. "Purrloin. Fury Swipes."

Purrloin sprang forward, its razor sharp claws looking ready to slice the very air apart. Hilbert ordered Snivy to dodge. Snivy did just that, a duck and a spin and other swift movements, Snivy evaded every attack the Purrloin directed at it. The Grass type ended the exchange with a counter, a hard kick to the Purrloin's side.

The Dark type scraped away, then raised its head after it stopped, ready to go on the offensive again.

"Pursuit." Cheren ordered. Purrloin's fur seemed to darken, and it charged forward. Snivy tried to dodge, and managed to evade the attack, but Purrloin immediately turned around and sprang again and crashed its head into Snivy.

Snivy flew back, rolling across the ground until it crashed into a rock wall. Almost immediately he got back up, moderately bruised but not hurt on a meaningful level.

"You can't handle speed like this." Cheren boasted, Purrloin used Pursuit again. Snivy took one look at its trainer, then grinned at Hilbert's expression.

Only a glance at his trainer's face was necessary for Snivy to understand what strategy he should employ. Snivy reached out his arms and grabbed Purrloin's shoulders as it charged into him. Purrloin kept going and Snivy was driven into the wall, and the Purrloin tried to keep pushing further. Snivy pushed back, and eventually forced Purrloin to take a step back, and then managed to steer Purrloin's charge hard into the ground.

Purrloin would have sprang up immediately, but Snivy grabbed the cat's tail and made a small spin, carrying Purrloin with the movement and slamming it hard into the wall. He made another spin in the opposite direction, smacking the Purrloin into a part of the wall behind the Grass type.

The Purrloin yanked its tail back and leapt upon Snivy, pinning the Grass type to the ground. It planned to end the fight by putting its claws through the Grass type, but Hilbert had other plans.

"Vine Whip." He called. Snivy put a hand under Purrloin's underside, and the vine extended. It wrapped around Purrloin's torso, Purrloin tried to hold onto Snivy with its claws, but Snivy lifted Purrloin into the air regardless, ignoring the pain he felt as the claws came out. Snivy took the opportunity to stand up and watched as Purrloin struggled a good eight feet in the air. As it flailed, it managed to put the claws of its hind legs across the vine, but it didn't phase the Grass type on the ground at all. Snivy smiled, then twisted and moved the vine, slamming Purrloin hard into the ground.

The vine retracted, Purrloin stumbled for a moment, but eventually managed to stand back up. It was ready to continue the fight, and-

"Enough, Purrloin." Purrloin paused, sighed in frustration and with unsteady legs, moved back to Cheren and returned to its Pokeball. Cheren showed a bit of teeth, then composed himself. Frustration would not help him win. He took his other Pokeball out and released Tepig.

The pig snorted and pawed the ground in preparation. Hilbert looked at it and tapped his chin thoughtfully before turning to Snivy. "Take ten."

Snivy's eyes narrowed, but it didn't protest its trainer's command. It accepted returning to its Pokeball, and Hilbert grabbed his one other Pokeball that had a Pokemon in it.

Pawniard appeared, its arms crossed. Tepig snorted a challenge, Pawniard uncrossed his arms, its attitude was distinct from Snivy's cockiness, but it held a certain arrogance all the same.

"Same strategy as last time, Tepig." Cheren called. "Use Ember, and don't stop until that Pawniard is down. Don't stop or relax because the Pawniard vanished, either." He recalled how potential victory slipped through his fingers last time, due to Tepig losing sight of Snivy and letting her guard down.

Though Cheren supposed he shouldered some of the blame for their last loss. He should have spotted where Snivy was sooner. This time would be different.

Tepig snorted in air. Hilbert and Pawniard were utterly impassive. Despite their outward looks, Cheren could see that Hilbert was calculating a strategy, he was determined to not let his friend have that chance.

He gave the cue to attack. Tepig released fire out of her nostrils, hurtling the crimson flame toward her enemy.

"Jump!" Hilbert ordered. Pawniard did so, clearing the sparks that were coming at him before landing and dashing toward the Tepig. Tepig leapt back, evading Pawniard's first arm swipe, and instinctively thrust forward with a head butt.

Pawniard blocked the attack and immediately made a vicious first strike, slashing Tepig right across her forehead.

"Get it away from you! Ember!" Cheren demanded. Tepig's eyes glinted with anticipation. Suddenly smoke rose from her nostrils once more.

"Stop it!" Hilbert called. "Don't let it attack!" Pawniard heard the command and hastened to obey, trying to attack again. It wasn't fast enough. The flame impacted Pawniard right in his face, the force of the blow knocking him far back. He scrapped away, and when he stopped, he fell to one knee.

"Pawniard…" Hilbert said softly, waiting for a response. He would put Snivy back out if Pawniard seemed too hurt, but the thing instead stood back up. It slowly looked over his shoulder, nodding at Hilbert to confirm that it was still well.

Tepig pawed the ground, then tensed with excitement. It was expecting to win this one. Pawniard tilted forward with his arms out, assuming a fighting stance. Tepig snorted, then released Ember. Pawniard darted to the side and began to approach at max speed.

Cheren knew that Hilbert's only chance for victory was closing the distance. He would not let that happen. "Use Ember! Use it non-stop!"

Tepig obeyed eagerly. It released fireball after fireball, Pawniard dodged all of them and continued to near his enemy. When Pawniard finally reached Tepig, the Tepig released one last fireball that Pawniard opted to jump over.

Pawniard failed to completely jump over the spark. One of his legs was caught by the fire, and his jump through the air was thrown off. He landed awkwardly in front of Tepig. Tepig grinned, then backed up a bit to ready an Ember that would knock Pawniard out and force Hilbert to bring Snivy back.

"Fury Swipe!" Hilbert called. "Now!" Pawniard got up, ignoring the stinging pain in his foot and dashed forward, and, somehow, made a blow before Tepig could release its fire. Pawniard continued to attack, cutting Tepig a full four times before kicking it away.

"Tepig." Cheren said with a tone of mixed frustration and concern as his starter rolled back to his feet. He stooped down and examined it. No serious, life-threatening wounds, it was just somewhat banged up. In fact, Tepig was still completely healthy and battle-worthy, but Cheren predicted that if he continued the fight, Pawniard would only continue to gain an advantage. He also would never approve of forcing his Pokemon to fight to the point of breaking.

"I concede." Cheren said before shaking his head. His apparent inability to win against Hilbert, even though he could exploit a Type advantage, was starting to get on his nerves, but he didn't whine about defeat.

Hilbert walked forward and put Pawniard back into a Pokeball. He looked as Cheren did likewise for Tepig. "So, what is this goal you were talking about?"

Cheren sighed and stood back up. "Simply this. I'll defeat every Unova gym, earn every badge, and then defeat the Elite Four and the Champion. After that… everyone will acknowledge my strength, and who I am."

Hilbert blinked. It was very like Cheren to have a goal like that, but he grew confused. "Elite Four? Champion?"

Cheren actually gaped at Hilbert, stunned into silence for a long moment. "You… don't know about those things?" The disbelief faded, and Cheren began to explain with a matter-of-fact tone. "The Elite Four are simply the most elite trainers of Unova, and the Champion is the one who stands even beyond them. They all reside at the Pokemon League. Any trainer who seeks to become strong with his Pokemon strives to someday become the Champion." He looked up in the air. "The Champion is the one everyone dreams of defeating. I intend to make my dream a reality. When that day comes, I won't allow you to defeat me either."

Hilbert bowed his head in thought. He would have been completely content to just gather eight badges and then just start… wandering around Unova. Having a position that everyone would want to dethrone him from wasn't particularly compelling to him. Still, Cheren seemed to have some great desire for it, a need for the accolades that came with it. Hilbert opened his mouth to speak, but it was another's voice that was heard.

"Out of the way!" Someone suddenly yelled, Hilbert and Cheren turned to the side, and they both immediately leapt back as two figures ran right past them, and would have trampled them had they not jumped out of the way.

As they moved past, Hilbert caught a half a second glance at them. He realized immediately… it was two members of Team Plasma with their strange, knightly costumes. A nameless feeling awakened in his gut as they ran past… and then he heard someone call him and Cheren.

"You two!" Hilda ran up to them, followed by Bianca and one of the elementary girls. Hilda's eyes were daggers, she rarely looked _this_ angry. "Where did they go?!"

"Um…" Hilbert looked in the direction the agents of Team Plasma has ran off in, then turned back to Hilda. "What's going on?"

Hilda gritted her teeth, but then took in a large breath and looked to the side. "One of the elementary students had a Pokemon of her own, and when she tried to introduce it to Bianca's Pokemon, two members of Team Plasma jumped out and stole the little thing." She looked past Hilbert and Cheren. "They run fast, too."

Hilbert thought back to the agents of Team Plasma at the Dreamyard. They had tried to take his and Bianca's Pokemon by force. That approach to 'saving' Pokemon was apparently employed by every member of Team Plasma.

The little girl who had been robbed sniffled slightly. "M-miss, my P-Pokemon-"

Bianca put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. We'll get it back for you." She smiled warmly, though she was inwardly bothered by her and her Pokemon's inability to stop the Plasma agents right when it all happened. She consoled the girl until the moment of sadness temporarily passed, but the only real remedy was to get the Pokemon back.

Cheren looked at what was unfolding, and made his decision. "Hilbert, come on."

"What?"

"I won't let Pokemon thieves go free." Cheren said. "Purrloin and Tepig are still well enough to battle, and I know your Snivy and Pawniard are healthy. Just follow me." He turned to Hilda and Bianca. "You two just stay with the girl, we'll get that Pokemon back."

Bianca's face twisted with concern. "Be… be careful." She gulped hard. "I don't want to see anything happen to you two."

Hilbert looked at Bianca's eyes, he could tell that she was thinking of the Dreamyard. He turned away and looked at Cheren. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

"They had to have gone in here." Cheren said, looking at a cave at the base of what might have been a mountain. He took a moment to breath in. He had no doubt that he and Hilbert would win if a battle erupted, but he was conscious of the possibilities of what might happen if they lost. The possibilities only made him all the more insistent that he be the victor. He turned to his friend. "Ready?"

Hilbert nodded. Cheren led the two inside…

…and they found the Plasma agents just at the entrance.

"You two!" Cheren called with a commanding tone. Both of the Plasma grunts started, then turned to him. "Release the Pokemon you just stole."

"We _are_ releasing it." One of them growled. "We're releasing it back into the wild. Far away from the hands of cruel humans."

Cheren opened his mouth to respond, but it quickly closed. He simply stared at the one that had spoken, unable to find the words to properly respond to the illogic.

"Let's try this another way." Hilbert said, stepping ahead of Cheren. "_Return_ the Pokemon you stole. I won't tolerate Pokemon thieves."

"Return it…?" The Plasma agents looked at each other, their faces contorting in offense. They turned to the two boys. "We, Team Plasma, fight for the safety and rights of Pokemon. We will not return any Pokemon to abusive human hands." An accusing finger was suddenly pointed at Hilbert. "Or are you about to try and deny that abuse of Pokemon doesn't exist in the world?"

"I…" The accusation was made so fiercely and passionately by a person who clearly believed in his cause that Hilbert was briefly at a loss as to how to respond. Eventually, he found the words he needed. "Of course there's abuse of Pokemon. The fact that it happens doesn't give you the right to steal Pokemon from others. Especially if you're stealing from the humans that aren't abusive, and-"

Cheren put his hand on Hilbert's shoulder. "Don't waste your breath, Hilbert. Nothing is going to get through to them." He stepped forward and took a Pokeball out. "Just return the Pokemon, or pay the price."

The Plasma agents turned hostile at the sight of Cheren's Pokeball. "You dare to threaten members of the righteous Team Plasma?!" Both of them retrieved Pokeballs of their own. "We'll take the chance to free your enslaved Pokemon as well."

Hilbert's eyes narrowed. He settled on a Plasma agent. "I've got that one, Cheren. You take the other one." He threw his Pokeball, releasing Pawniard. It was still moderately bruised from the fight with Tepig, but it was still very fight worthy. Cheren released his Purrloin, surprisingly capable looking after its round with Snivy.

Both of the Plasma agents threw their Pokeballs, and Pawnaird and Purrloin found a pair of Patrats opposite of them. Hilbert zoned out of the Patrat that Cheren and Purrloin were going to focus on, looking only at the Patrat directly across from Pawniard.

"We'll make this quick." Hilbert noted. Pawniard struck a fighting pose opposite the Patrat.

The Plasma agent gave an order for Tackle, and his Patrat ran forward. Pawnaird stepped to the side, letting Patrat sail past him. The Normal type doubled back, Pawniard immediately slashed the Patrat as it approached, knocking it aside.

The Patrat shook itself of its slight disorientation, not bothered by the damage it had just taken. It hunkered down, and charged again.

"Fury Swipes!" Hilbert ordered, Pawniard brought both of his arms into formation. The Patrat came up to him, Pawniard immediately cut it once, then slashed again and again before the Patrat could back off. The flurry of swipes continued for a time, and then eventually Pawniard jumped away. The Patrat wobbled from foot to foot, looking like it was dizzy, then fell down backwards.

"Bah." The Plasma agent muttered as it recalled his Patrat. Hilbert couldn't help but feel that the Patrat he just fought hadn't been even remotely trained. That was easy, almost pathetically easy. Suddenly Hilbert heard a loud clubbing sound, and he turned to see the other Patrat hurtling through the air from a blow courtesy of Cheren's Purrloin. The Patrat tried to stand up, but its legs quickly buckled, and its trainer recalled it.

"Just a pair of kids." One of them murmured in disbelief. "How can the righteous Team Plasma get beaten… how can we lose when we're in the right?!"

Cheren just inhaled and exhaled slowly at the words. Deciding to not bother responding to the words, he just turned to Hilbert to nod approvingly. He turned back to the two Plasma agents. "Return the Pokemon you stole. Now."

The Plasma grunts remained hostile. Cheren was ready to order Purrloin to attack them directly, when another voice resounded in the cave.

"We are not returning any Pokemon to slavery." Cheren and Hilbert heard a distant voice and looked to the side, another two Plasma agents were present. Hilbert wasn't perplexed by the appearance of these reinforcements, not after the underwhelming performance of the ones he just fought, and simply turned to his new enemies. The two new agents stood with pride. "We are in the right. We, Team Plasma. After this battle you will see the truth in that."

"More of them…" Cheren shook his head, feeling exasperation at this development rather then anything remotely resembling worry or concern. "It doesn't matter how many of you appear. I'm not losing to Pokemon thieves." Looking at the two, he decided to recall Purrloin, then turned to Hilbert. "Come on, we'll make this a two on two. Let's get this over with."

Hilbert allowed himself to smile at how Cheren was treating this as a trivial annoyance that should be sped up. It was getting somewhat difficult to regard these Plasma agents as a serious threat. He recalled Pawniard and reached for his other Pokeball.

Hilbert and Cheren each threw a Pokeball, and Snivy and Tepig appeared.

"Rather rare Pokemon." One of the Plasma grunts noted as he retrieved one of his Pokeballs. "We'll save them from you. I swear it."

Both of the Plasma grunts threw a Pokeball. Another pair of Patrats appeared. Hilbert actually looked somewhat amused.

"More Patrats? Can't you guys think outside the box a little?"

"Shut up, kid." One of the Plasma agents hissed. He and the other agent spoke the next word in unison. "Bite!"

The Patrats darted forward. Cheren narrowed his eyes. "Tepig. Defense Curl." The pig hunkered down and curled up, the teeth of the Patrat's likely wouldn't be able to get to her like this. Cheren glanced over at Hilbert. Cheren's partner wasn't perplexed by his opting for a more defensive strategy.

Hilbert just chuckled. "Snivy, use your new wrecking ball." Cheren raised an eyebrow, then watched as Snivy's vine wrapped around Tepig.

"Hilbert, what do you think you're…" Cheren started with an accusatory tone, then blinked in realization. "Yes, yes, that's a clever strategy, and it'll speed things up quite a bit." He turned back to the unfolding battle, the Patrat's had almost closed the distance. "Tepig, stay curled up." The Fire type tightened its position, Cheren believed that she understood the strategy.

Snivy's eyes twinkled, and he swung Tepig around like she was a large wrecking ball. He made a large swing and smashed her into the two Patrats, sending them flying straight back into the wall.

The duo of Patrats got back up. Their trainers ordered for them to stubbornly attack again. Hilbert looked at Snivy. "Raise Tepig high above you." He turned to Cheren. "Tell her to use Ember."

Cheren inwardly chuckled at the strategy, then turned to his starter currently hoisted in the air. "Tepig. Use Ember. Turn the ground into a fire field."

Tepig snorted enthusiastically, then released a shower of sparks. The two Patrats tried their best to evade the falling flames, and succeeded in darting through the storm, initially. In time, one of them was suddenly hit by a spark that was falling with an erratic arc and dropped. The other Patrat, not noticing its ally falling, tried to keep pushing forward, but was eventually stopped by one flame landing directly in front of him.

It had paused only briefly, but another spark landed on the temporarily stationary Pokemon. The Patrat yelped, then fell down on the now hot rocks.

"No… _no_!" One of the Plasma agents yelled. Even with the help of reinforcements, they had been defeated by these two kids. The same one that had spoken looked defiantly at Hilbert and Cheren. "We only wish to liberate Pokemon. That's all."

Cheren shook his head as he recalled Tepig. "That logic is absolutely laughable. What was that elementary student doing to abuse her Pokemon? Nothing. I spent enough time with them today to know how they'd treat Pokemon."

One of the grunts clenched a fist at Cheren's rebuttal. "Trainers who ignore the obvious truth… you are the sort of person who makes Pokemon suffer. I truly pity you."

Cheren's face turned hostile at the idea of being pitied by people like the ones standing before him. He was leaning towards the idea of bringing his Pokemon back out and attacking these humans directly, when one of them sighed deeply and stepped forward. He took another Pokeball out.

"Here is the Pokemon we… were going to liberate. It's obvious that nothing we do today will keep it from returning to slavery." He handed the Pokeball to Hilbert, then quickly backed up to his comrades. "But make no mistake. Team Plasma _will_ succeed in its goals. All Pokemon will be freed from their blind, idiotic masters. Yours included." With that, he and his allies suddenly darted away further into the caves until they couldn't be seen.

"That logic." Hilbert shook his head. He turned, not concerned with the Plasma agents anymore. With the Pokeball in hand, he just sighed and looked at the entrance to the cave. "We got what we came in here for. Let's just get going."

* * *

"My Pokemon!" The little girl yelled in delight as she took the Pokeball back. "Thank you, mister! Thank you!"

Hilbert smiled. "Just be more careful with that." He turned away to see Hilda smiling at him. He looked away immediately before he had a chance to look embarrassed.

"I guess you _can_ be reliable once in a while." Hilda said cheekily. "You too, Cheren."

Cheren wrinkled his nose at the thanks offered in a slightly condescending tone. "It was simplicity. Team Plasma doesn't seem to bother actually training their Pokemon."

"You got the Pokemon back, and you're perfectly alright." Bianca said, walking up to Cheren. "I'm… so glad to have friends like you two."

Cheren cleared his throat and looked away as the time for congratulations and praise ended. "Bianca, you and Hilbert take the girl back to the Day Care. Hilda, it's time we started moving."

Hilda sighed with mixed emotions. "The Day Care was more entertaining then I figured it would be, but I have been waiting for the chance to leave." She walked up next to Cheren, then turned around and waved. The two departed, Nacrene likely wasn't far from where they all were standing.

Hilbert made an exaggerated sigh. He didn't like Cheren and Hilda managing to get ahead, but he shrugged indifferently before turning to the little girl still reacting to her Pokemon's rescue. "Alright. Let's get her back to her class."

* * *

Pawniard still had no interest in playing, and sat right beside Hilbert on a bench as Bianca's Pokemon, and Snivy, were still amusing the kids. Pawniard sighed deeply and turned away, bored and wanting to move on. He pressed a blade upon the wooden bench and started to carve a mark into it, which quickly became a neat circle mark with shreds of wood beside it. Every once in a while a kid glanced at the little guy, but Pawniard was never approached.

"Hey, miss Bianca." One of the students spoke out of the blue. "How do you catch a Pokemon?"

Bianca smiled. "I can show you that easily. We just need to find a wild Pokemon. If that's okay with the teacher." She turned to the older girl, who nodded approvingly. Bianca suddenly enthusiastically led several of the students off of the playground. Snivy cocked his head as they left, then returned to Hilbert.

"She's given a demonstration, huh?" Hilbert looked down at Snivy, then back in the direction Bianca left in. He patted his pants before standing up. "Alright. Let's follow them. Anything besides just sitting here."

* * *

Pawniard made a sound, perhaps a sigh, then hopped off the bench and started to follow its trainer.

Bianca had found a Lillipup. She released her Munna to demonstrate how to capture a Pokemon. Hilbert, watching from the side, wondered how this would go. Bianca had never actually caught a Pokemon before. Oshawott and Pansear had just been given to her, and Munna had decided to follow Bianca. This, if it went well, would be the first time Bianca actually caught a Pokemon of her own in the typical method.

Munna moved forward quickly, following Bianca's commands and slowly using its Psychic type attacks to wear the wild Lillipup down. The Lillipup barked defiantly and tried to aggressively attack Munna, but Bianca's orders kept Munna safe and out of harms way. Eventually, Munna's attacks had the Lillipup breathing hard.

Taking a Pokeball out, Bianca threw it. It struck Lillipup and took the Normal type inside. The ball fell into the grass and shook weakly, the Lillipup was fighting desperately, but eventually it gave up, and the ball fell still. Bianca walked over and picked the Pokeball up, then turned around and opened it for the kids.

The Lillipup was still bruised, and it turned to Bianca and allowed itself to be petted, and then jumped onto Bianca's arms when she made the offer to hold it.

"That's how it's done." Bianca smiled. The kids cheered. Hilbert sighed. He imagined that Bianca's attempt might not have gone so well if she hadn't seen him capture Pawniard at the Dreamyard. A capture that was far more difficult… and dangerous. He turned and looked down at the little thing, it looked back up at him, understand was not registering in its eyes. Hilbert found it interesting that the thing, which had been honestly trying to kill Snivy, was now one of his Pokemon.

Eventually, the field trip of the class ended and the kids went back to the school with their teacher, and Hilbert and Bianca were finally able to get back on the road.

"I have four Pokemon now." Bianca announced to him, then suddenly smiled. "And you only have two. Feel intimidated?"

Hilbert blinked, then sighed. "Oh, oh yes, Bianca. I'm waving my white flag of surrender." He frowned at her enthusiasm. She was making a full team very quickly. He, on the other hand, still only had two.

"I'll add more members to my team when I'm good and ready, Bianca. For now…" He looked up, it was earlier then he thought it would be. Maybe just a little after noon. "Let's get going to Nacrene. I'd rather not let Cheren and Hilda get that far ahead of us."

* * *

**Please review.**


	6. To Shape The Future

**First chapter that I would say is deviating from Black/White in a meaningful context.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Tepig grunted, trying to stay on her feet, but she was teetering. White hot pain coursed through her legs as they did a task as simple of supporting Tepig's weight. Little flames were ejecting from her nostrils as she gasped for air. She was on her last legs, and it was a painful struggle just to stand. A struggle she was destined to lose, and in a moment her legs buckled, and she fell onto her side.

The Timburr across from Tepig spun its large wooden beam above its head and struck a victorious pose as the Fire type slumped to the ground in defeat.

Cheren glared, then recalled his starter. Tepig was down, and Purrloin had already been defeated. He had lost this battle.

Standing across from him, and behind the Timburr, was an opposing Trainer. What had happened? Cheren had finished his visit to the Pokemon Center and was ready to challenge the Gym, but a certain individual challenged him to a battle right outside the Gym.

N, the same strange boy he and the others had met in Accumula Town, had appeared without expectation and defeated Cheren completely and utterly. Oddly enough, he didn't have the Purrloin he had used to face Hilbert's Snivy. N had expanded his team to three Pokemon, but his Pokemon were now a Tympole, a Pidove, and the Timburr that was out right now.

Hilda looked on from the side, her jaw dropped. She knew N had probably had a strong chance to win, but hadn't expected him to seem this powerful. The Pokemon he used looked only freshly caught, yet they seemed to already have complete trust in their Trainer, and fought their hardest for him.

Tepig went back into her Pokeball, Cheren glared at his opponent. This defeat was too recent after the still fresh memory of his third loss to Hilbert.

"You push your Pokemon too hard." N admonished with his quick voice. Cheren flinched at the accusation, N continued as if he hadn't noticed. "You have them desperate for victory. They are hurt as they go to lengths to achieve a victory they would never seek if you didn't compel them."

"That's unavoidable in competition." Cheren retorted. "We get hurt competing against each other, but there's no maliciousness in it, and I wouldn't send my Pokemon out if I knew that the most likely scenario was that they might end up getting seriously hurt."

N looked straight at him with strangely soul-searing eyes. "How much happier could a Pokemon be if they never had humans ordering them to battle? I wonder…"

Cheren's eyes narrowed in offense. "I'm not interested in your philosophical and ethical opinion of battles." He turned around, then sighed as he looked at Hilda. "I have to go back to the Center. You can just… wander around, or something. Just meet me at the Center sometime, I'll call you on your Xtranceiver if I start getting impatient."

Hilda cocked her head, wondering why Cheren didn't ask her to go with him. She assumed that he wanted a moment to rethink his battle tactics. She nodded, slowly. "I'll just… wander around Nacrene for a bit, I guess. I _do_ like to pace."

Cheren grunted, then just walked off. Hilda took in a breath, the last thing she wanted to experience was a journey spent putting up with a moody Cheren. She started to turn, and almost jumped back at how close N had gotten to her.

"You still have no Pokemon." N observed, looking over Hilda. "You still don't approve of battles?"

"I…" Hilda had not been this physically close to N at any point back in Accumula, and this was the first time she noticed, N was… quite handsome. A spur of the moment observation, and one she dismissed immediately. She had seen better looking men, and she started speaking again, her tone of voice completely normal. "Don't expect me to ever be a trainer, N."

"Yet you spend your time in the company of trainers." N said, looking at her hard. Hilda felt the look in N's eyes pierce her, and she suddenly felt the urge to make sure that it was approval glinting in N's eyes. That urge was immediately drowned by the urge to defend her friends.

"I have to be supportive of my friends." She said, almost defensively. Then something compelled her to speak further. "Even if all three of them are idiots most of the time."

_Perhaps… she is not ready yet._ N mentally noted as he observed Hilda's willingness to condone battle.

Hilda looked at him. To her, it looked like there was something N wanted to say. She thought for a moment, but dismissed the possibilities and decided to change the subject. "Hey, N, you might want to be careful when you're talking about Pokemon's feelings and putting them into battle. You might find people associating you with Team Plasma."

N seemed to jolt, looking with an expression that Hilda couldn't interpret. "What… would be wrong with being associated with Team Plasma?"

"You haven't seen them, have you?" Hilda said with a suddenly hostile tone, but she quickly toned it down, reminding herself that N didn't deserve to have her angry with him. "I saw a pair of Team Plasma members just an hour ago. They stole a little girl's Pokemon, and were talking about 'saving' it. They stole it right off of a playground, N. Trust me, getting categorized with people like that would not be a good thing."

There was silence between them. N looked lost in thought at Hilda's brief description, then looked at her again. "There are many… formulas one can use to save Pokemon. Perhaps, some formulas seem unpleasant, despite their intended goal."

"I find it hard to believe that you're trying to defend Team Plasma." Hilda held herself back from speaking with a hiss. She couldn't fathom how someone could think of Plasma forgivingly. If N had seen those members of Plasma, he would have understood exactly where she was coming from. She took in a deep breath, then shook her head and glanced at the Pokeballs N had. "Anyway, how did you meet the Pokemon you have now? And, where is the Purrloin you had earlier?"

N looked down at his three Pokeballs. "I… met all of them around Nacrene, and simply talked to them. They agreed to follow me for a little while." The expression on his face remained static as he mentioned how he could talk to Pokemon, just like he mentioned talking to Pokemon back in Accumula. Hilda was not sure if she believed N or not.

"And the Purrloin you used to fight Hilbert's Snivy?" Hilda asked, there was a little voice in her head that was saying that she was being too probing, but she asked the question anyway.

"I let it go free." N tilted his head to look past Hilda and the tree line behind her, not overly different from the tree line the Purrloin had darted into. "Pokemon shouldn't be suffering under my orders. They are only beautiful free, in the wild. I won't corrupt the Purrloin with cruel commands. Eventually, these three will be go free as well."

Hilda's hand went to her chin. For the first instant, it sounded like N was making pretty justifications for abandoning Pokemon. His logic seemed… a little hard to comprehend, but the tone of N's voice alone somehow offered irrefutable affirmation that N believed it truly was for the Pokemon's best. He was being… selfless, even if she couldn't begin to understand his reasoning.

"Accumula Town." N spoke softly, remembering the fight between the Snivy and the Purrloin. "You are his friend… where is that one, Hilbert, now?"

Hilda shrugged. "He should be on his way to Nacrene right now. He'll probably arrive pretty soon."

N looked toward the entrance to Nacrene City. He didn't voice it, but… in Accumula he had sensed something… uncanny, about Hilbert, and…

He was looking forward to their next meeting.

* * *

"That Day Care visit didn't turn out how I expected." Hilbert said with an exaggerated tone of annoyance as he put his hands behind his head and looked around. They had just entered into Nacrene, the first thing he did was look up at the sky and consider time. If all went well, they should have been able to leave well before the sun began to sink past the horizon. "Might as well get to the Gym right now."

He glanced over at Bianca. The girl gave him a look, then suddenly put a hand over her gut. Hilbert could almost hear the growl of Bianca's stomach.

"Can we find a place to eat first? We didn't eat before we left Striaton."

Hilbert looked exasperated for the briefest moment, then smiled and shrugged. "Won't take too much time to stop for lunch. I'm sure Nacrene has a place."

Hilbert couldn't help but notice that most of Nacrene's buildings looked like they were made out of old, but still well kept warehouses. There were some warehouses that didn't seem to be used… it seemed like a haven for squatters to him, but he just shrugged his shoulders at the possibilities. The city was also much quieter then Striaton, and more, perhaps, he could say 'artful'. Not art in the way that stirred the soul, but perhaps he wasn't able to judge.

He and Bianca entered into one warehouse that was marked as a café. The first thing he saw inside was some people scurrying around and examining the floor closely for some reason… he ignored it and simply took a seat with Bianca and waited.

One of the workers of the café approached them and took their order, and in a few minutes Bianca was enjoying a small, light meal of simple bread. Nothing extravagant. Hilbert didn't order anything for himself, he just simply sat at his seat, dividing his attention between Bianca and the café.

The people moving around were scouring the café from top to bottom, Hilbert found himself growing curious as to what was going on. He tapped a finger against his cheek, thinking about it, but he didn't want to ask, it might have been an obvious question that would make him look like an idiot. Eventually, despite his concerns, his curiosity could not go unappeased, and he turned to one of the café employees as he walked by.

"Excuse me, um…" Hilbert waited until the man stopped, then gestured at some of the people moving around. "What's going on?"

"Everyone wants the reward." The employee answered frankly. Hilbert blinked at the utterly unhelpful answer, and the employee continued. "Two very… well regarded people came to Nacrene City this morning. One of them lost a book, a thick novel. So they made a want ad, and with quite the reward for finding it." He turned to look around the café. "This is where the two think the book disappeared at. So everyone is in here trying to find it." Hilbert was satisfied with the long answer and offered a thanks for the explanation. The employee accepted it before sighing and walking off, mumbling something.

Hilbert thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah. Someone else will find the book eventually, and, I don't really need a reward." He thought for a short second, and wondered why the owners didn't simply buy a new book. It couldn't have been all that rare. Bianca looked at Hilbert for a moment, then shrugged and continued to eat the bread. Hilbert contrasted Bianca's manner of eating, taking small bites and chewing carefully, with the very unladylike manner that Hilda normally ate. Hilbert was one to make the joke that some celestial being had probably intended to make Hilda male, but made a slight mistake.

He turned his head, and he paused. He saw Hilda right on the other side of the window, walking by the café. She didn't turn toward the café and so didn't notice Hilbert, but what caught Hilbert's eye more then anything else was who Hilda was walking with. It wasn't Cheren… he was probably just elsewhere at the moment, but then, who was this person? Who was it, with his white shirt and tea green hair and…

"N." Hilbert realized, remembering the battle with the boy from Accumula Town. N was walking with Hilda, and the two-

"What?" Bianca asked after swallowing what she had in her mouth. Hilbert looked back at her, then turned back to Hilda and N… they must have just rounded a corner and were gone now. He turned back to Bianca and shook his head.

"Nothing. I was just mumbling a little there." He thought of Hilda… he had no doubt she'd be back with Cheren the next time he saw her… but she looked oddly content walking with N. He tried not to dwell on that and just waited for Bianca to finish eating.

Eventually the bread was gone, Bianca leaned back with a large content smile, patting her now contently filled stomach. Hilbert knew better then to try and make a comment about her weight. Deciding to wait until Bianca rose and say it was time to head to the Gym, he turned and rested his shoulder on the windowsill right by their table, his elbow was poking into an area hidden behind some drapes. He tapped the fingers of one hand upon the table as he waited for Bianca to decide it was time to go.

Bianca made a relaxed sigh, then stood up. "Shall we get going?"

Hilbert started to remove his arm from the windowsill, and something suddenly fell off of the sill as he made the movement. A small black object with an easily understood shape landed on their table. It was a familiar thing, it was…

"A book." Hilbert observed. He raised his eyes to meet Bianca's briefly. "Do you suppose… this is…"

"I bet it is." Bianca answered the unspoken words, her voice gaining a strong note of excitement. "Let's ask where the two owners are."

* * *

Just a few minutes later, Hilbert and Bianca were outside the café warehouse, and were greeted by two girls.

Hilbert held his breath. He didn't want to raise false hope, he didn't know for sure if this was the novel that disappeared, but the eyes of one of these two girls, the one wearing glasses, brightened at the sight of the book in Hilbert's hand.

"I got my book back!" She took it when Hilbert offered, Hilbert had to smile at the girl's excitement. Though he felt that this much excitement was slightly unwarranted. She flipped through a few pages, and the expression on her face made it clear that it really was the missing book.

"You should keep a better grip on the novels you write." The other girl lectured, Hilbert blinked. So, the girl with the glasses was the one who actually wrote the book. That might better explain why they couldn't just replace the book at a local bookstore. "Now look… we had to contract aid of the… peasants, to find your book, and now they'll wait a reward."

Hilbert immediately bridled at being called a 'peasant', but he decided to confirm something. "I just happened to find that book, I… didn't do it for a reward. If it's okay with you, I'd be happy with… no reward."

The girl with the glasses looked at Hilbert, and then to Bianca, who seemed pleased at Hilbert's decision. Putting her book away, this time securely, she looked at both of them. "Can I at least get your names?"

"Hilbert." Hilbert answered, "And my friend, Bianca."

The author smiled. "My name is… Shauntal." She looked at her own friend. "This is Caitlin."

Shauntal. Hilbert found that the name had an interesting sound to it. He turned to the other girl, Caitlin. She was looking at Hilbert and Bianca with an annoyance she clearly wasn't trying to hide.

"You don't want the offered reward…" Shauntal began. "Is there something else I could do for you?"

Hilbert put a hand to his chin in quiet thought. He turned to Bianca, who just made a confused glance, nothing came to her mind. Shauntal seemed to really want to repay the favor, yet Hilbert couldn't seem to come up with anything.

Then, a thought struck him. "Well, I am a Pokemon Trainer, trying to collect all eight Gym Badges. So…"

Shauntal's eyes widened and she looked at Caitlin. Caitlin frowned at the suggestion, but forced herself to nod in agreement. They _could_ give a demonstration for these two trainers, give them a sense of what kind of Pokemon they had, and…

"Do you know what types are used by the Gyms in Unova?" Hilbert asked before Shauntal and Caitlin could do anything. "I… um, would rather avoid a Ghost type Gym. I have a…" Hilbert took in a breath, calculating whether or not he should say it to two people he only just met. "A… p-phobia, with the Ghost type." His voice suddenly became sheepish, and he looked… embarrassed.

"Oh." Shauntal had been reaching for… something, but suddenly stopped, bringing her hands together. "Oh, is that… so." She swallowed hard, looking at Caitlin and wordlessly calling off their idea before she might spark a very unpleasant reaction from Hilbert. "Well, I can help you with the Gyms of Unova."

Shauntal's descriptions were easy to understand. Hilbert breathed a sigh of relief as it became clear that no Gym Leader in Unova specialized in the Ghost Type. Many other types were represented, more then once he'd probably be fighting a hard uphill battle against a Gym with a type advantage over him, just like the fight with Chili in Striaton. He suddenly noticed that Caitlin seemed to be grinning, he had no idea what Caitlin was grinning about.

"That would be all of the Gyms." Shauntal concluded. She smiled sweetly at Hilbert. "I wish I could do more for you. I put my everything into my novels, losing one of them is…" She looked to the side, but wasn't looking at anything in particular. Eventually she turned back to Hilbert. "Maybe I can form an idea for my next story off of what just happened."

"No." Caitlin suddenly spoke up urgently. "A novel based on them? Let's not give this pair of trainers an excuse to think highly of themselves. We should be on our way."

Hilbert locked eyes with Caitlin. Oh, the girl clearly came from a very well off family, considering the obvious condition of her clothes and the refined and elegant way she moved, but she was rubbing Hilbert the wrong way with incredible ease. Just a few minutes after they met, and she did a spectacular job at raising Hilbert's hackles.

Shauntal didn't argue with Caitlin's suggestion that they start moving, but she looked over at Hilbert and Bianca. "Um, it was nice to meet you two." She managed to say as she started to back up. "I'm looking for inspiration for my novels, so I'm traveling all around Unova. Maybe we'll meet again, I… want to do more for you, for finding my novel."

"Come now, Shauntal. You'll give them an excuse to try and call in favors." Caitlin took one last, dismissive look at the two trainers, then walked off, Shauntal followed her.

Hilbert looked at Bianca. "What did you think of those two?"

Bianca thought. "Shauntal seemed like a nice girl. Caitlin… I'd need some time to get used to her."

Hilbert frowned at the mention of Caitlin. Truthfully, both Shauntal and Caitlin were… quite pretty girls. Not to say that Bianca wasn't as good looking compared to them, but…

"No reason not to head to the Gym now." Hilbert said after a moment. "Shauntal said that this Gym specializes in Normal Type Pokemon." He turned his head, trying to see if there were any handy maps like there had been in Striaton. For a brief moment, Hilbert heard a mental voice whisper the question of why Shauntal, a traveling author, knew the types the Gyms specialized in. He pushed the voice down immediately. She was a traveler who had probably been all around Unova. Why wouldn't the girl have known that?

* * *

"Striaton Gym was a restaurant, this one is a… museum?" Hilbert curled his lips in annoyance. Couldn't these Gyms be more obvious at a glance? He motioned at Bianca to follow, they were about to enter through the front entrance…

…when someone suddenly stepped out.

Hilbert took a cautious step back. It was N, who he had seen walking around with Hilda. Hilda was nowhere in sight, she must have left to go back to Cheren by now.

"N." Hilbert addressed the boy in front of him. He suddenly turned and looked at Bianca, and wondered why he suddenly felt that Bianca needed protecting. N wasn't dangerous, he was simply… different. Calming himself down, he looked at N again. "I haven't seen you since Accumula Town. What are you doing?"

N closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts, then opened his mouth and spoke. "I want to see and understand the things no one else does. The ideals, of the Pokemon kept confined in their Pokeballs. The truth, of what being a 'trainer' means. Above all, a future where Pokemon have achieved their zenith, their ultimate potential."

He looked at Hilbert, his eyes scanning across the boy, looking like he was trying to peer into Hilbert's mind. "Do you… also seek such a future, where Pokemon's potential is unleashed?"

Hilbert opened his mouth to speak, but no words managed to come out at first. N's question was… strange. It had come out of nowhere. Yet, a future where Pokemon reached new heights? Hilbert couldn't see anything wrong with that. He opened his mouth again. "Yes. For the sake of the Pokemon."

Bianca smiled, and inched slightly closer to Hilbert. She was in agreement, but N didn't look at her, or even seem to acknowledge what she was doing. Only Hilbert seemed deserving of his attention right now.

"I see." N looked carefully, not seeing a speck of dishonesty in Hilbert. "The world has not yet decided what future it will choose. Perhaps, my Pokemon and I hold the future the world chooses? Shall we test that?"

With slow purpose, N revealed a Pokeball. Hilbert looked at it, and grinned. Battle was something he could understand with ease. He revealed a Pokeball of his own.

N released a Pidove. The little bird flapped its wings, then put its still young talons on the ground and glanced from left to right, moving its head with quick, jerky motions. Hilbert released Pawniard, the vicious Pokemon immediately fell into a battle stance, looking like a fierce hunter.

N looked at the posturing Pokemon. There were many guaranteed outcomes in a Pokemon battle. Only one of them was relevant to N, the pain that the Pokemon would suffer. Yet, to understand what he would need to bring about the future he desired, he had to be strong, just for this battle.

"Pidove. Use Gust." Pidove eagerly obeyed, raising up into the air and flapping its wings forcefully, sending a powerful wind straight at Pawniard. Pawniard held his ground, hunching down slightly to brace against the wind.

Pawniard began to slowly slide back, but he never fell backwards. Pidove eventually tired of swinging its wings and ceased the attack, settling back onto the ground. If Pawniard had a visible mouth, it would have grinned as the opportunity presented itself.

"Use Scratch." Hilbert commanded. Pawniard dashed forward, the blade on the end of its right arm gleaming in the light of the noon sun.

"Peck!" N counter-commanded. Pidove suddenly lunged forward with its beak. The arm that Pawniard planned to use to end the fight immediately instead was used to block Pidove's attack. Pidove immediately jumped back, stretching its wings out and readying itself for the next round of combat.

"Press the attack." Hilbert said. "Fury Swipes." Pawniard charged forward, Pidove took to the air and used Gust once more. Pawniard kept moving, forcing himself through the wind, and eventually managed to get underneath Pidove, free of the wind Pidove was generating. Pawniard leapt into the air right behind Pidove, Pidove turned, and was met by two swipes of Pawniard's blades.

Pidove fell from the air, landing hard on the ground. It tried to get up, but the blows Pawniard inflicted, combined with landing so hard, and painfully, upon the ground, sucked all of Pidove's strength. It could not get up, N reluctantly returned Pidove to its Pokeball.

N held Pidove's Pokeball firmly in his hand, just looking at the red and white thing, as if he was apologizing to Pidove. He looked back at Hilbert and Pawniard, and slowly reached for his second Pokeball.

Out came a Tympole, bouncing and floundering on the dry land. Hilbert looked at it, and almost laughed at the sight. He held himself back at the last moment, if N intended on using this Pokemon, then it was something he should take seriously. Pawniard didn't seem to pause to express amusement at all, it was taking this completely seriously. Hilbert emulated that seriousness. The time for relaxation, and perhaps a cocky attitude, would come when the fight was over.

"Tympole. Bubblebeam." N said. Tympole sucked in air, then blew it out as a legion of fast moving bubbles.

"Pawniard. Guard yourself." Pawniard hunkered down and crossed his arms over his face. The bubbles came at him, hitting him with a force that seemed illogically hard since they were, bubbles.

Eventually, the blows stopped. Pawniard lowered its arms, and Tympole was again floundering, looking almost helpless. Pawniard looking over his shoulder at his trainer. Hilbert nodded, giving the okay to lunge forward and attack.

Pawniard dashed forward. N looked at the developing situation, and spoke calmly. "Supersonic."

Tympole opened its mouth, and released a… peculiar sound. To Hilbert it was like nails on a chalkboard. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Beside him, Bianca had covered her ears at the sound. While the sound was annoying to the humans, Pawniard clutched his head, looking like he was in agony.

Tympole eventually stopped releasing the sound. Pawniard put its arms back down, but shifted clumsily from foot to foot, having no steadiness. He blinked tired, dazed looking eyes. Tympole was still in front of him… or, three Tympole were in front of him. They all bounced in unison, they were becoming increasingly blurry as well, and it was making Pawniard dizzy.

"Not sure what that was supposed to accomplish, but…" Hilbert relaxed, seeing that Tympole had stopped doing… what it had been doing. "Alright. Pawniard. Finish this!"

Hilbert had given an order to attack. No, no, he said to brace for an attack. Or… what had he just said? Pawniard couldn't think straight. Slowly, he brought his arms into position, taking a defensive stance and waiting for something or other to happen.

"Pawniard?" Hilbert looked as Pawniard seemed to ignore the order, doing the exact opposite of what Hilbert just said. Tympole looked pleased, perhaps smug, at this development.

"Bubblebeam." N commanded, having Tympole repeat its first actions in the battle. Tympole sucked in air, more air then the first time, and unleashed an armada of bubbles.

"Pawniard. Take a defensive stance!" Hilbert yelled. Pawniard turned back in confusion. What had Hilbert just said? Start attacking? Pawniard looked ahead and obeyed what he believed he heard. He lunged forward, and was pummeled by strangely hard hitting bubbles. Pawniard was wracked with pain, and was eventually knocked back, rolling and then skidding to a stop.

"What is going on?" Hilbert asked aloud. Pawniard had never seemed to make a point to go against his orders like this before. He blinked, and recalled the sound Tympole had made. Somehow, it had to have been causing this. Cheren might have known exactly what was happening, he'd have to talk about it the next time they met.

Pawniard got back to a sitting position. Was it his imagination, or was Tympole getting… less, blurry? He wasn't seeing three Tympole anymore, either. He didn't understand, but…

He stood up, waiting for an order.

"We'll try one more time. Pawniard, attack that Tympole."

This time, the order, the correct order, was heard clear as crystal. Pawniard rushed forward. N's face flickered to surprise, he had assumed that Pawniard would continue to be unable to hear Hilbert's orders correctly. Instead, Pawniard heard the order perfectly, and struck Tympole with just a single blow, but with the power necessary to end the fight.

"Back over here, Pawniard." Hilbert called. Pawniard immediately obeyed. N recalled Tympole, surprised at what had happened, and knew he was down to his last Pokemon. Taking his last Pokeball out, he took a deep breath, then released Timburr.

Hilbert looked at what was in front of him, then looked down at Pawniard. "Let's let Snivy have this one." Pawniard's eyes widened in offense, but as the Pokeball came out he bowed his head and didn't fight going back in.

Taking his only other Pokeball that had a Pokemon in it, Hilbert released Snivy. The Grass type Pokemon swaggered forward. Timburr frowned at the haughty movement, but did nothing without instruction.

"Timburr. Brace yourself." N commanded. Timburr tensed, every fiber of its being on edge. It waited for Snivy to make the first move.

Hilbert was not going to be stupid enough to tell Snivy to get in range of Timburr's wooden beam. "Keep your distance Snivy. Use Vine Whip… at least get that log out of Timburr's arms."

Snivy extended the vine and snapped it at Timburr. Timburr raised its wooden beam, letting the vine crack and bounce off of the wood. Snivy tried again, and this time the vine wrapped around the wooden beam.

Timburr smiled, Snivy's eyes widened in realization. Timburr hoisted the wood overhead and spun it around, dragging Snivy and the vine with the movement. Timburr eventually stopped spinning, and thrust the wood down. Snivy followed the movement and slammed straight down upon the ground.

Raising his head, Snivy wasted no time in retracting the vine before getting back to his feet. He was somewhat bruised, but not meaningfully hurt.

"Let's not do that again." Hilbert mused to himself. "Alright. Snivy, get in close, but watch that beam." Snivy darted ahead, evading Timburr's attempts to club Snivy with the piece of wood. Snivy ran circles around Timburr, evading every single attack Timburr tried to hit the Grass type with.

Eventually, Hilbert yelled for Wrap. Snivy suddenly jumped onto Timburr and spun around, looking like he was trying to crush Timburr's chest. Timburr's arms were not pinned down, he could still swing the beam. He aimed for Snivy's head, positioned right in front of Timburr's neck.

"Detach! Now!" Hilbert ordered, Snivy let go and let himself drop as Timburr made his attack. Rather then strike Snivy as it intended, its attack instead send the wood crashing hard into its own head.

Timburr took several awkward steps around, clenching its eyes shut and reacting to the pain it had unintentionally self-inflicted. Snivy ran forward and smashed itself into Timburr's chest.

N looked down as Timburr skidded fairly close to his legs. He looked back at Hilbert and Snivy, and sighed. "For the second time, I face defeat at your hands, Hilbert."

Bianca inched closer to Hilbert, taking pride in her friend and his victory. Snivy turned around and climbed to his nest, the top of Hilbert's hat.

Recalling Timburr, N closed his eyes and thought for a long moment. "The world has not chosen a future path to walk yet. As I and my Pokemon are now…" He looked sadly at his Pokeballs. No, they won't suffer under his orders again. They won't be hurt like this again. "I cannot save all Pokemon, or help them reach their ultimate potential. Not as I am now… the formula to change this world for the better is still unsolved. But I know the missing piece I need."

His legs started to move, he walked past Hilbert and Bianca. "I need power, and I know exactly what power I need." He stopped, still speaking to Hilbert, even though he was no longer looking at the boy. "That of the legendary Pokemon, who, with a great hero, created this Unova region." He took in a good, long breath, looking like he was collecting his thoughts, but he knew exactly what his next words would be.

"Resharim." N said. Almost on cue, a wind came and swept his tea green air. "Resharim… I shall befriend Resharim. I will become… a hero. Resharim's hero." The words seemed to fill N with conviction and confidence. Straightening himself, he spread his arms briefly, then, without turning back to Hilbert, walked away.

Bianca watched as N left, then slowly turned to Hilbert. "So, what do you make of him?"

"N…" Hilbert began slowly. "He is… strange. A little strange. But, I'm starting to consider him a friend."

Bianca nodded. "I'm starting to feel the same way." She looked at Hilbert, then they both looked at the museum. It seemed to loom above in a manner that was almost challenging. Hilbert smiled, then pointed a thumb at the entrance.

"I'm ready for my second Badge."

* * *

**Well, hmm, I'm planning on using the members of the Elite Four for some... specific purposes. There's a point to that scene.**

**Please review.**


	7. Battle Museum

**Sorry for this really late update, life's been hectic lately.**

**Oh, and it seems we have GenVI on the way. As a guy who's been around since GenI, I'm starting to feel old.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Hilbert examined the interior carefully. Just like Striaton Gym being a restaurant, there was little signs that this museum, supposedly Nacrene Gym, was actually a Gym at all. Instead of seeing trainers and challengers, the museum was swamped with people looking at the exhibits, and the occasional security guard enforcing the 'no touching' rule for the exhibits. He did not want to look like a fool, so he hoped to discreetly ask someone working here about what this building was. So long as Bianca cooperated, he could determine if there was a Gym here or not without anyone leering at him.

Going around and blatantly asking if this was a Gym or not, however, clearly was not something Bianca was interested in right now. The displays captured her undivided attention. She made sounds of approval and confusion at the things she saw. Fossils, old rocks, and other obviously ancient things. She had probably, and in just seconds, forgotten the entire reason they had come into the building in the first place.

She stood near one exhibit, a large fossilized skeleton, which, based on position, was probably the museum's main exhibit. The skeleton, one could not deny, was a powerful sight. Clearly it had been the bones hidden under the flesh of something horrifically powerful. Something that Hilbert, and his Snivy and Pawniard, likely couldn't dream of even scratching.

Snivy, still sitting on Hilbert's hat since the fight with N from only ten minutes ago, glared at the skeleton like it was about to attack. The same observations Hilbert had had gone through Snivy's mind, and it disliked the idea of something being too much for him to handle on his own. He crossed his arms, almost looking like he was sulking.

Hilbert had paused momentarily at the skeleton, but then moved to Bianca, who was still enraptured by the sight, and came up right beside her.

"We didn't come here to admire corpses." Hilbert said, a tone of chiding creeping into his voice, but he kept his eyes on the skeleton. "We can go to a crypt if we want to do that." He suddenly felt Bianca elbow his side.

"You are such a killjoy." Bianca answered Hilbert's words. "I haven't forgotten the Gym battle, but as long as we're in a museum, we should see the exhibits." She looked away from Hilbert and back to the skeleton. "Imagine what it would have been like if this thing was our Pokemon when it was alive."

The suggestion seemed to completely envelop Bianca. Hilbert paused to reflect, it _would_ have been impressive, he was forced to admit. If a Dragon like this was by his side, no one would challenge him, or even dare to disagree with him. Changing the world would be as simple as just wanting it to be changed.

As he continued to look, he felt a strange sensation build up in him. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he suddenly felt like something was scratching at the back of his head. Looking at the skeleton, he felt like something was suddenly moving. He blinked, then shook his head. He was still in the museum, standing right beside Bianca, had he just spaced out for a moment? The scratching sensation was gone, that one odd moment had apparently left.

"Amazing." A voice right next to Hilbert and Bianca spoke. They both turned, right next to them was what Hilbert assumed was the museum's curator. Dressed in a white coat that made him look like a scientist, he seemed to be thinking out loud as he looked at the fossil of a dragon that had Hilbert and Bianca's attention. Despite the fact that he probably saw it every day, something about it seemed to really grab his attention. "No matter how many times I look at it… it really is such a powerful display. To think that…" His eyes started to pan away, and he noticed Hilbert and Bianca standing not far from him. He blinked at the glances he was getting, then cleared his throat. "Ah." He recovered from his surprise at being stared at by unfamiliar faces. "You must not be from Nacrene. I know all of the regulars by face."

"We're from Nuvema." Hilbert said quickly. "We, um… we-" He tried to speak the question he wanted to ask, but the man suddenly started speaking again.

"Well, I'm the vice-curator, Hawes." He said plainly. Hilbert blinked. So this was the vice-curator, not the curator. He turned to look at the skeleton looming above them. "This Dragon type… we don't know how it died. Best hypothesis we have is just that it ran into some trouble while it was flying around the world."

"How… specific." Hilbert said, he didn't notice Bianca giving him a look. "Anyway, I want to ask-"

"I can show you the other exhibits." Hawes continued as if he hadn't heard Hilbert's somewhat snide comment or the question Hilbert was trying to ask. He walked off, Hilbert was debating whether or not to follow, when Bianca suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

The first thing they came to was a large chunk of rock under glass. Hawes turned to them. "This is a meteorite." He leaned in, looking enthusiastically at the space minerals. "They say it has mystical space powers contained inside it, and…"

Hawes didn't notice that Hilbert had stopped paying attention. Instead, he was busy wresting his hand free of Bianca's grip. "Bianca, please." He got his hand free, turning away from the girl, and seeming unwilling to make eye contact.

"Hilbert?" Bianca tilted her head.

"Just…" Hilbert continued to look away, but Bianca could see the corner of his face. Was it her imagination, or had he turned red? "Please don't… hold hands with me in public."

She failed to understand what Hilbert was saying. They both turned back to Hawes, who was only just wrapping up the abridged version of the explanation of the meteorite. Hilbert opened his mouth to speak, but then Hawes suddenly started walking off to the next exhibit. Hilbert held back from the sigh, then started to move with Bianca.

"This is, this is…" Hawes looked at the third thing he was trying to show them. "Oh, yeah, this is just a rock." He shrugged, then looked at the predictably quizzical looks he was getting. "It's only value is its age. People seemed to like it, so we put it on display." A smile crept across his face. "I suppose it is a pretty rock, but anyway… let me show you what's at the back of the museum."

Hilbert wondered if he would ever get to ask the question as to whether there was a Gym here or not. Hawes led them away, Hilbert did feel a prickle of curiosity as to what was at the back of the museum. They moved to the back, and Hawes turned and looked at them triumphantly.

"Back here, the museum becomes a Pokemon Gym. The Gym Leader is the curator of this museum. A strong but kind Gym Leader who's been with me since before we started this museum. There is no one more dependable or reliable then her. The Leader also happens to be my wife."

He smiled, then looked at Hilbert. "Oh, by the way, you looked like you wanted to ask me something."

Hilbert blinked, then looked at the entrance to the Gym proper, then back at Hawes. "No." He shook his head, wondering why it had to take this long to just find out where the Gym proper was. "Well, I'm a Trainer. I should get to challenging the Gym now."

"Oh, of course, of course." Hawes nodded. "Once you're done, I can show you the rest of the exhibits."

Hilbert smiled at that, for the first time he felt honestly interested in the museum's sights. "Sure. There shouldn't be anything to keep me from seeing the rest of the museum." He turned to Bianca and tilted his head to ask her to follow. The two left.

Hawes twisted his lips briefly. "I hope Lenora goes easy on them. They looked pretty puny."

* * *

The Gym proper seemed to be a library. Hilbert glanced around, very tall bookcases were all around the large room he was in. There were a few people at the bookcases, but they all collectively stopped and glanced at Hilbert, who felt his heart quicken slightly. Yes, despite appearances, this couldn't have been anything but a Gym. The people who had turned to look at him were obviously trainers. A fact Hilbert seemed to just… sense.

"So, where's the Gym Leader?" Hilbert asked out loud. The others in the Gym turned away, looking like they were trying to stifle chuckles. Hilbert felt a rise in annoyance.

"It would be nice if someone could explain the Gym for us." Bianca said quietly. She thought for a moment, and then perked up as an idea struck. "Hey, what if there was this one guy in every Gym we visited, and he could explain the Gyms for us?"

Hilbert looked at her, and raised an eyebrow. "You want us to have a _stalker_?" He shook his head. "I could really do without that. We can figure this out on our own."

Things started slow. It took some time for the pair of Nuvema trainers to understand the way the Gym was structured. It was about solving a few basic logic problems involving sentences and books, and engaging in a few Trainer battles. The latter was welcome, and it gave Snivy and Pawniard a chance to stretch for a bit. They'd need to be loose for the battle against the Gym Leader.

The former was a little harder. Hilbert wasn't an unintelligent person, and the solving came easy. Still, he found it a pain, and he could have gone without Bianca's highly, questionable… input as to what the answers could have been. It was only made more annoying by little messages left by the Gym Leader. Lenora, she called herself, and she left various notes throughout the bookshelves. The messages were encouraging, but somewhat cheeky at the same time.

Eventually, everything was solved, it felt like it had taken hours, but Hilbert knew he had most likely gotten impatient and was mentally exaggerating. He was just happy that it was finally over, and all that was left was the final battle of the Gym.

With the click of a button hidden under a book, an entire bookshelf just slid away. There had been stairs behind the bookcase that descended down. Hilbert glanced at Bianca. "My second Gym Badge awaits." Snivy and Pawniard were back in their Pokeballs at this point, and Hilbert turned to Bianca. "We going?"

Bianca swallowed audibly. "Y-you first."

"You're scared of a dark corridor?" Hilbert looked at Bianca, who was just staring transfixed at the passage.

"W-well…" She turned to Hilbert. "What if there's, you know, Ghost-types."

Hilbert flinched. "That… was low, Bianca." He looked at the corridor and felt a new, nameless spike of anxiety. He tried his best to dismiss it, there couldn't be ghosts down there. This was a well maintained museum, not some old structure fallen to ruin. There was no reason for there to be any ghosts. "Just stay close to me if it's that big of a deal."

* * *

They descended down the stairs. It was dark only for a short time, and the two entered into a lit room. At a glance, it looked like an office, a work desk surrounded by shelves and shelves of books. It didn't look anything like an area to host Pokemon battles, but then, perhaps the curator simply wanted to take care of Gym duties and museum duties at the same time.

Hilbert looked ahead, there was indeed someone here. He saw a dark-skinned woman, who was just standing there, looking at him with an odd smile on her face. Not intimidated by the confident look, Hilbert stepped forward defiantly. "I'm here for my badge… Lenora."

Lenora continued to smile, and crossed her arms. "I heard a clever pair of trainers were making their way through the Gym. Though I understand that only one of you will be challenging me."

"Bianca is a valued friend that I'm traveling with. But the only challenger is me."

Bianca flushed at being called 'valued', but said nothing as Hilbert took another step forward.

"Now, Lenora. If you're expecting to win, then you're going to be disappointed."

"Cheeky. I like that." Lenora chuckled as she examined Hilbert closely. "As the curator of this museum, I'll see just how you fight with the Pokemon you're carefully raising."

Hilbert smirked, then something occurred to him. He had made a deal in Striaton, and he very much intended to honor it. "Before we begin, Lenora, I want to ask you a question."

Lenora tilted her head slightly, then nodded her permission to speak.

"What's your take on the Striaton Gym Leaders?"

"The Element Brothers?" Lenora's eyes widened at the question, but then she shook her head. "Those three have stubbornly refused to attend any gathering of Gym Leaders, and they don't even respond when a reason for their absence is requested. It smacks as arrogance. I do not have a positive 'take' on them."

Hilbert was bothered by the tone the words came in. "They… have to run their restaurant, every day of the week. I think you're being a little harsh on them. You can't really judge someone until you meet them in person."

"It's not like they give me or the others a chance to meet them in person."

Hilbert tapped a finger on his chin and thought for a moment. "Well, I did meet them, and I think that they're good people. So…" He continued to think, then suddenly smirked with a realization. "Then here's a deal. If I win, you have to rethink your opinion of those three."

Lenora put a hand to her chin and thought for a moment. "Okay, fine. I'm not planning on losing, though."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to disappoint you." Hilbert chuckled with an arrogant expression. "Because you losing is the only thing that's going to happen today."

Lenora's face twisted in offense, but then she smiled. "I don't mind confidence, but I'll be making this more difficult for you then you probably expect it to be." She took a Pokeball out of her apron and opened it.

A canine appeared and stretched briefly, then lowered itself, looking like it was ready to pounce on something. Hilbert smirked, then revealed one of his own Pokeballs. Out came Pawniard, who briefly let his blades scrape against each other.

"That's not a native Pokemon." Lenora said in reaction to seeing Pawniard. "Curious. Are the Bisharp moving their herds, or is this one an outcast?" She looked at the Pokemon that was standing across from her Herdier. The Pokemon were staring each other down, and while Herdier postured and growled and tried to threaten, the Pawniard was saving all of his energy for the fight.

"I suppose we might as well get started." Hilbert looked at Pawniard, who sunk into a fighting stance. Every fiber of the Pokemon's body was dedicated to victory. The Herdier across was trying to intimidate Pawniard, but Pawniard seemed very far from impressed. "Pawniard. Use Fury Cutter."

Pawniard took to the order enthusiastically, rushing ahead, one arm swinging forcefully by his side, the other stretched out, the blade ready to rend the foe.

"Herdier. Use Leer!" Lenora commanded. Herdier growled, and narrowed and then widened its eyes threateningly. Pawniard saw it, but just continued on, utterly unimpressed. Lenora suddenly ordered Herdier to evade upon seeing that Leer had had no effect. The canine leapt to the side, but Pawniard followed it and ripped into Herdier.

"Take Down!" Lenora said, Herdier fought off the pain and charged, crashing its head straight into Pawniard, knocking Hilbert's Pokemon back. "Again!" Herdier continued to move forward, striking Pawniard over and over, and then finally desisted with the attack.

As Herdier jumped back and was attentive to any small movement its enemy might have made. Pawniard had been knocked onto the ground, but slowly got up to his knees, one arm of his was shaking, Hilbert was certain that the shaking came far more from rage then pain. Pawniard suddenly swung the arm threateningly and snapped his head in Herdier's direction.

"Alright. Try Faint Attack." Pawniard started to move again, picking up speed. Herdier started to move evasively, fleeing from Pawniard's new attack, but Pawniard quickly outpaced his enemy and scored a powerful direct blow. The strike from Pawniard's arm sent Herdier flying through the air, and impacting hard on the wall.

Herdier trembled on the ground, then started to stand back up. It clearly still had a good deal of fight left in it, and-

"Herdier. Enough is enough." Lenora said, recalling the Pokemon before turning to Hilbert. "I'm beginning to see the sort of trainer you are. However, I still plan to analyze and find a winning strategy."

"We'll see about that." Hilbert smirked. "Pawniard, let's let Snivy take it from here." Pawniard glanced at Hilbert, he didn't want to let the Grass type have any opportunity to continue to speak well of himself, but nodded.

Hilbert took his other Pokeball out and released the grass snake. Snivy's tail swished and it looked out, awaiting an enemy's appearance. Lenora smirked, she had been put into a corner, but her second and final Pokemon would be all she needed to turn this around. She threw the Pokeball…

…And out came Watchog. The Pokemon crossed its arms, standing quite a bit taller then Snivy. It looked down in a way that really made it seem to be, looking down, on Snivy. Snivy noticed the arrogant expression and tensed in annoyance. The Grass type would have been all too happy to reestablish the pecking order.

"Watchog." Lenora said triumphantly. "Use Retaliate." Watchog uncrossed his arms and charged forward. Snivy's eyes widened at Watchog's unexpected speed, and it wasn't able to move before the larger Pokemon crashed into it, sending Snivy hurtling across the room. Rather then crash and lay sprawled upon the floor, Snivy managed to spin through the air and land on his feet.

Snivy breathed heavily, the force of that blow was completely overwhelming. It swore that the Watchog would not manage an attack like that again. Hilbert looked at the sight, and attempted to think of a strategy.

"Crunch." Lenora ordered. Watchog obeyed, leaping forward with an attack that might have ended the fight right there. Hilbert commanded for Vine Whip. The vine sprung from Snivy and snapped forward, and by some miracle it managed to trip Watchog.

The Normal type slammed hard on the ground, but got up before Snivy could even begin to retract the vine. Rather then attack, it waited, almost seeming to be telling Snivy that it _could_ have ended the fight right there.

Snivy pulled his vine back and glared. Hilbert was impressed at Snivy's resolve, but wasn't sure how long he could realistically last against this Watchog. This strong Normal type just seemed to be in a different league from every other Pokemon he had fought so far on this journey. As he looked, Hilbert paused. It looked… it looked like Snivy was starting to glow.

For a moment, Hilbert forgot about the battle, and was panicking over what that strange glow could have meant. Only he seemed to notice, Bianca, Lenora, and the Watchog didn't seem to see it, but Hilbert knew what he was seeing, and the glow was slowly becoming brighter.

"Watchog. Let's get the Pawniard back out." Lenora said, then ordered an attack. Watchog sprang forward, Hilbert managed to order a Tackle. Snivy rushed ahead and leapt up, and managed to ram his head into Watchog's chest, and Watchog immediately countered, striking Snivy with enough force to hurtle him into a wall.

Snivy groaned, almost looking sick, but slowly got back onto its feet. No matter how terrible it felt, he could not allow himself to lose. He could not. He refused to let that happen. He was still glowing.

"This will finish it." Lenora announced. Watchog started to charge again, but then Snivy, feeling consumed by his desire to not have his pride wounded, started to shine. Watchog stopped, leaping back and watching carefully, contemplating if this was some sort of hidden ability.

"Snivy!?" Hilbert yelled, a touch of real fear in his voice. Snivy was now pure white, no longer various shades of green, and then it seemed as though Snivy… morphed, and became something taller, before the glow died down.

Snivy… didn't look like Snivy anymore. It stood taller, prouder, and it didn't seem to be as injured as it had been previously.

"Snivy, what…?" Hilbert looked in confusion at his starter.

"What happened?" Bianca asked from right beside Hilbert. The thing that had previously been Snivy turned and looked at Hilbert with a smirk, then turned back to the Watchog, they were now roughly the same height. The Watchog's eyes narrowed, it understood just as well as the Grass type. There had been an upset, in the balance of their power.

"Your Snivy just evolved." Lenora said matter-of-factly. "Look at your Pokedex for more information."

Hilbert blinked, then took out the small device. He checked it briefly, then glanced at his Pokemon. "Servine."

"Serv." Servine said, continuing to look only at the Watchog.

The anxiety over what might have happened disappeared from Hilbert. "Alright, Servine. Let's try something fancier. Leaf Tornado."

"No-Watchog, do not let Servine attack!" Watchog sprang forward, but it wasn't fast enough. Servine summoned countless sharp leaves that started to whip around Watchog. The leaves cut at Watchog even as the wind circulating by the movement of the leaves carried Watchog up into the air.

Eventually the attack ended, and Watchog fell, it crashed down onto the desk in the room, smashing the wood into two with its weight. Lenora shook her head, that had been her primary work desk.

"I had so many theories as to how I could have turned the fight around." Lenora said, then looked at Hilbert. None of the scenarios she considered accounted for that Snivy suddenly evolving mid-battle. "None of them worked, but I proved my own theory about you. You're not just a talented trainer, you're a motivated one as well, and your Pokemon fought for the trainer they believe in. I believe… you and your Pokemon will go great distances."

Hilbert smiled, then turned to Bianca. He wondered if just a look would let her understand how relieved he was. He had no idea what had been happening to Snivy, now Servine. Next he turned to Servine, who had just approached him.

"I was worried for your safety for a moment there Sniv-ah, Servine. Is there anything you want right now?"

Servine tilted his head up, then leapt up into the air, trying to return to its favorite spot on Hilbert's hat. Unfortunately, Servine's new weight was far, far more then Hilbert expected, and he landed on his face.

"Ugh… S-Servine…" Hilbert took in some desperate gulps after the air was suddenly forced out of him. Servine, oblivious to his trainer's discomfort, settled onto Hilbert's hat. "You're… too heavy, to be up there, now." Hilbert suddenly heard laughter, and looked ahead to see Lenora walking up to him.

"You and your Pokemon really are charming. Anyway, for defeating me, I award you with the Balance Badge." She took out a small piece of metal and placed it on the ground near Hilbert. Hilbert reached a hand out and grabbed it, then tried to reach for the case he kept the badges in.

Bianca grabbed the case, offering to put the badge in for Hilbert. Hilbert allowed her to do so, letting Bianca put the Balance Badge in the case with the Trio Badge. Hilbert started to stand up, Servine still on his head. Hilbert could only manage to get up to a hunched position.

"Since I won, you also have to honor our deal about the Striaton Gym Leaders."

Lenora paused, then sighed. "Yes. I'll be more understanding of them. If someone like you thinks I should be more patient with them, then they probably are good people, through and through."

Hilbert smiled, and then Servine finally, mercifully, leapt off of Hilbert's head. He managed to straighten up and he planned to turn and leave, maybe humor Hawes' invitation to see the rest of the exhibits. He also needed to determine where the next Gym was. There should have been a map handy… a part of him wished he could speak to Shauntal again, but he imagined it would be a long while before he would meet her a second time.

Then suddenly the entire room they were in shook, and a sound resonated, something that sounded like an explosion. Hilbert almost lost his footing, and when the shaking ended he immediately turned to Bianca, the girl was okay, just rattled somewhat.

"What happened?" Hilbert asked aloud. He looked at Lenora, at Servine, and then back at Bianca. A nameless feeling awoke in his chest, and he felt that he absolutely had to get out of the Gym and back to the museum, because _something_ was happening.

* * *

**Please review.**


	8. The Sage

It was not even a moment after Hilbert started to move toward the door that it suddenly swung open. On the other side was a clearly panicked Hawes.

"Lenora! We have an emergency!" He took a moment to breath. "A group of people entered the museum, and they're trying to take the skull from our main exhibit! I tried to stop them, but they were willing to use force, and-"

"Hawes, Hawes. Calm down." Lenora reassured her husband, though she looked more then a little panicked herself. "I need to get out there, and… you two, I'll understand if you'd rather not get involved, but I would appreciate any sort of help."

Hilbert looked at Lenora, then nodded immediately. He turned and signaled to Bianca, who looked frightened by whatever was unfolding. She tried to steel herself, but only succeeded in looking nervous as she started to follow Hilbert.

The four returned to the lobby. It was in chaos. Some of the exhibits seemed to have been shattered and destroyed, others were mercifully intact, and people were running everywhere. Some of the exhibits might have been destroyed by people trampling over them in an attempt to get away from… whatever started this mess.

Lenora tried to clamor for order but didn't get it, her loud voice couldn't pierce the roar of the crowd. So she instead grabbed one fleeing person as he ran by.

"What's going on?" The Gym Leader demanded as she held one patron by the arm with a grip as firm as a Durant's.

The man choked to speak, then slowly stammered. "T-T-Team Plasma is here." Hilbert did a double take. Team Plasma? How many times would he encounter this organization? He looked out at the crowd ahead, there was a line of Plasma grunts… how had he not noticed them before? They were the only people in the crowd that looked orderly, not running away while screaming their heads off, they didn't look even barely uncomfortable with what was happening.

He noticed that one grunt was holding a large sack over his soldier. Immediately, Hilbert's eyes jolted to the Dragon fossil exhibit, which he saw was now missing its skull.

"They took the Dragon Skull." Hilbert said. He looked at the way the Plasma agents stood, discussing among themselves, looking like they were about to make their getaway. If the past was any indication, the members of Plasma thought they were in the right, despite the fact that they had pretty much just instigated a riot that was destroying the museum.

Lenora released the patron and charged through the crowd. She came up until she was almost arm-length to the one with the sack over his shoulder. "You! Stop messing around. Give me the Dragon Skull back."

The agent looked at her with an amused expression. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. This skull will be the start of a liberated world. One where Pokemon can enjoy their freedom, away from tyrannical trainers, like you."

"Is that some kind of joke?" Lenora asked, rhetorically. "Stop fooling around, I can tell that this is just some poorly thought out plot for minimal financial gain. Now, return the Dragon Skull."

"Oh, Plasma is quite serious about this." The agent responded. "Let us give you an idea of how truthful that fact is." He raised his free hand and made a peculiar hand gesture. Every other member of Team Plasma revealed a small object.

"Smokescreen!" The leader ordered, suddenly smoke bombs went off. Lenora found herself blinded, choking on the smoke and stumbling aimlessly through the museum's lobby, and in moments she heard the sound of a group slipping through the front door. Unfortunately, it took several minutes for the blinding smoke to clear. As she could see again, Lenora growled in the back of her throat. Team Plasma was gone, and with the skull in tow.

Hawes came up beside them and groped for words for a moment. "We, uh… we need to chase them down! That exhibit is important."

Lenora nodded. "Kids." She looked at Hilbert and Bianca. "Follow me. Please."

Hilbert scowled at being casually addressed as a 'kid', but still followed Lenora. The three exited the building, there was no sign of members of Team Plasma anywhere. Not even an obvious trail to follow. Bianca grew worried that the agents had managed to get away.

"Lenora." A foreign voice spoke up. Lenora saw a man she recognized walking up to him. "Sorry its been a while. Sometimes its hard to get away from the Gym. Find any good fossils on your last expedition?"

Lenora, though obviously impatient to find the bolted thieves, kindly turned her attention to this man. "No, Burgh, and I assume part of the reason you came here was for inspiration?" She turned her head. "Hilbert, this is Castelia's Gym Leader, Burgh. He'll be your next Gym Leader to face."

Burgh found himself smiling, then noticed something about the way Lenora was standing. "You look a little bothered, Lenora. Is there some trouble?"

"I would say there is." Lenora crossed her arms and wore an agitated expression. "Team Plasma just attacked my museum, and they ran off with the skull of our Dragon exhibit."

Burgh's face twisted into a serious expression. "Team Plasma? I know their mission statement… but what could a fossilized skull do to help them liberate Pokemon?"

Lenora threw her arms in the air. "You tell me. The one who seemed to be the leader was saying something about how it would help them save Pokemon. No matter what they think they're doing, they committed theft, and we have to find them."

Burgh was in complete agreement and opened his mouth to speak further, but then his eyes caught movement. Two more individuals were approaching.

"Cheren? Hilda?" Bianca saw her old friends walking up. Cheren blinked, it looked like he had walked up intending on proving something. Now his face contorted with confusion as to what was happening.

"I came here to challenge the Gym. I presume that now is not a good time?"

Lenora looked at the two new trainers. "Friends of yours, Hilbert?" Hilbert nodded, smirking slightly. Cheren and Hilda had good timing, Hilbert had to admit, with more people, they had more options. Lenora stepped forward. "Long story short, the museum was attacked by Team Plasma. I need to get back the artifact they stole before I can think about accepting any Gym challenges. I want to chase after them, but I can't leave the Gym unattended. More thieves could come in while I'm gone."

Cheren nodded, understanding. "Perhaps you could leave protecting the Gym to me and Hilda? I'm already a considerably strong trainer."

"That's one issue covered." Hilbert said before Lenora had even approved of Cheren's idea. "Now how do we track down Team Plasma? And they'll get further away with every moment we waste talking."

Lenora started. "They're either in town, or they went to Pinwheel Forest." She thought for a moment. "I can handle the town by myself, everyone else should head to the Forest."

Burgh nodded. "Alright, you two, I'll lead the way, but I won't slow down for you."

He was already off. Hilbert, however, was lost in thought, and then turned to Bianca. "I… want you to stay at the museum as well."

"Huh?" Bianca's eyes widened in shock. "W-why would you ask me to do that? Aren't we traveling partners, and… what would happen if you got hurt?"

"And if you're the one who's injured?" Hilbert asked. "You've always been the sensitive one, Bianca. I… feel responsible to you, but if I find Team Plasma members, I'll be focused entirely on the fight. If you get hurt-"

"B-but, I want to go with you, Hilbert. Even if… it's scary. And I-"

Hilbert looked away to the direction Burgh ran off in. He could still see the Castelia Gym Leader, but he'd vanish from view eventually. "There's no time to argue. Stay here, Bianca. Please." He darted off, Bianca stared as Hilbert departed, then looked down at the ground.

"He'll be fine, Bianca." Hilda reassured, coming to her friend's side. "He's always had that dumb luck of his."

Bianca didn't directly respond, and just sighed. "This is the… third time he's gotten involved with something Team Plasma has done."

"Yes, and every time he…" Hilda paused, blinked, then looked at Bianca again. "Hold on, this is only the second time. What happened at the Day Care, and now this."

Bianca shook her head. "We also ran into members of Plasma at the Dreamyard." She raised her hands up and pulled on her hat. "Eventually he's going to get himself hurt bad, and… and if he wants me to stay safe like this, I might not be nearby when it finally happens."

She stood frozen for a moment, then felt a warm sensation as something landed on her shoulder. She turned to see Cheren, who looked more understanding and sympathetic then he normally did.

"For now… let's get inside the museum. While we're making sure no one else slips in, I'd like you to explain this Dreamyard incident to us." Cheren looking back at the museum, and Bianca felt a cold shiver down her spine as Cheren took her hand.

Burgh looked at the entrance to Pinwheel Forest. Signs of heavy travel were becoming more visible. The tracks had been hidden quite well, but after a certain distance any attempt to hide the trail had seemingly been abandoned. A sizable group had clearly just entered the forest, and all at about the same time. The signs pointed to this being the path Team Plasma took to escape, so then…

He was a Gym Leader, and confident in his strength, but he wasn't foolish enough to charge in and potentially get surrounded by perhaps over a dozen Plasma agents. He stroked his chin in thought as he pondered how to proceed. Then, he heard footsteps behind him.

Hilbert came up to Burgh. "I'm here. I left Bianca with Hilda and Cheren."

Burgh twisted his lips, perhaps just a tad disappointed that his backup consisted of only one person, then turned back to the forest entrance. "Looks like Team Plasma did run into the forest. There are two routes through the forest, one heading straight through it, the other is a little more out of the way." He nodded to himself, forming a plan. "We'll split up, I'll take the simpler route. You go through the additional path, it's essentially a straight line, and look for any sign of Team Plasma."

"What if they've already charged straight through the forest?"

"Already occurred to me." Burgh answered, looking smug as he pulled an Xtransceiver out of his pocket. "If they follow this path they'll reach Castalia City, the Castelian authorities are already on the lookout for members of Team Plasma. We just need to make sure no Plasma agents slip past us and back to Nacrene."

Hilbert nodded. "Sounds good. Lets get into the forest. I'd enjoy humiliating them myself."

Burgh had already run off down the main path through the forest, Hilbert began to move toward the side path. In a more casual moment, he might have taken several long moments to examine the surroundings, take note of what kind of Pokemon were living here, but with the current situation he didn't have the time. He ran quickly and evenly, getting down the path with good speed. Occasionally he had to jump over a fallen tree trunk that had clearly tipped over years back.

Eventually someone jumped out in front of him. Hilbert was quickly coming to recognize the Team Plasma uniform at a glance.

"So this kid wants to be a savior for oppressors, is that it?" The Plasma agent just smiled, feeling that if a battle erupted, his victory was assured. "Too bad for you. The one with the Dragon Skull is way ahead, and you'll be turning back right here."

Hilbert just shrugged, then heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see another member of Team Plasma behind him. This one, a woman, crossed her arms. "Any chance of reaching the lead agent is nonexistent. Trust me. You'll be handing over your Pokemon. _Now_."

The Nuvema trainer looked at his two enemies. An ambush… this is the entire reason why he didn't want Bianca with him, thankfully she seemed to have listened to him. In the face of these two enemies, he smirked. "I have a contrary idea of what I'll do."

"How utterly adorable." The female laughed as she took a Pokeball out.

The male joined in the laughter. "You can defy Team Plasma and support your corrupt mentality all you want, but you will never defeat us."

"Funny. I don't think I'm the one with the corrupt mentality." He grabbed the Pokeball Servine was in. He smirked, by past experiences it would be almost cruel to use Servine on the grunts, but time was of the essence.

The two Plasma agents went down, and in record time. Hilbert started moving again. What he had just fought were far from the only members of Team Plasma lurking in the forest… he was not oblivious to how they seemed to be trying to stall him. He continued on, Servine and Pawniard doing a good job at dusting off what came at him.

The path was long, but not confusing at all. In time he came across what he believed was the final member of Team Plasma here. This one, rather then act in a haughty and arrogant manner, assured of his victory, instead panicked at the sight of Hilbert. A look that only strengthened as Hilbert's Pawniard single-handedly defeated both of the grunt's Patrats, and his one Sandile.

"No, _no_…" The grunt looked disbelieving at what had happened. "We lost the Dragon Skull… so now our… our King's desires will never come to pass."

"Good work, Hilbert." Burgh said, coming in from the side. "I heard the sound of fighting, so I knew you had found them. Lenora also came to Pinwheel Forest. Any chance of the thieves getting away with the skull are now gone."

Hilbert turned to see Lenora walking up. The Plasma grunt looked at the trio before him, looking completely miserable. "Eve-everything depended on… this operation. I-"

There was a sudden rustle, the agent jumped and turned, seeing a regally dressed man in red. Hilbert looked at this new person, and saw the Plasma insignia appearing as a mark on this elderly man's chest.

"P-Plasma Sage… Gorm." The agent hung his head in shame as he identified the man.

"How fare you, fellow servant of the King?" Gorm asked, noticing the agent's dejected body language. He turned to Hilbert and the two present Gym Leaders, and nodded, understanding. "Fret not. I came to relieve you of your duties pertaining to this assignment. Upon further research, we found that the Dragon Skull is not the Skull of the Pokemon we seek. It is an entirely unrelated creature."

The agent's eyes widened, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Gorm turned his focus to those who had dissolved this operation. "I am one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma, Sage Gorm. Sage Ghetsis will liberate Pokemon with but words. I and the other Sages have given the order to let the common subjects liberate Pokemon with force. And… thrice now, our operations have been thwarted by the actions of a novice trainer."

He blinked, then focused on Hilbert, who seemed startled that one of Team Plasma's leaders recognized him specifically. Gorm smiled, then tilted his head slightly left, then right, and ascertained that he was talking to all three of his enemies. "The Bug Pokemon expert, Burgh, the Normal Pokemon expert, Lenora, to you, I say… know your enemies, know yourself, and know you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Today… Team Plasma retreats."

"I don't think so." Lenora said, taking a threatening step forward. "You're under arrest."

Gorm, rather then seem intimidated, looked amused at the words. "One can frequently be so sure of victory, they lose sight of the dangers that yet remain." As he said the words, _something_ suddenly cut through the empty air between Hilbert and the Plasma Sage. Hilbert turned and looked up, and saw a member of Team Plasma standing in the branches of a tree, beside the grunt was a Tranquill. Burgh looked at the Pokemon and narrowed his eyes, Gorm had come prepared. That Tranquill's Air Cutter would annihilate his team before his Bug types could reach the Flying type.

Gorm guffawed. "How swiftly the scales that show the balance of power can shift. I take my leave of you for now. But… one last thing that must be said." He looked, and Hilbert knew that the next words were only for him. "Those who stick their nose into Team Plasma's business, might find their nostrils ripped off."

Hilbert thought it was an odd way to put it, but understood the threat that Gorm was making. Gorm nodded, bowing in a manner that should have been respectful, but Hilbert took offense at it. The Sage and the grunt departed.

"We got the Dragon Skull back." Lenora said, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "But every member of Team Plasma slipped through our fingers." She turned to Burgh, there was something on her mind. "I need to give the other Gym Leaders a call, I had heard reports of Team Plasma being involved in Pokemon theft, but never that they did anything on this scale. Anyway, let's all head back to the museum for now."

"You… you…" Bianca looked at Hilbert and slowly approached them as he and the Gym leaders approached. Hilbert saw Bianca… and not being sure if she was about to explode in outrage or have a sobbing episode, was hesitant to approach his friend. Lenora took one look at the unfolding drama, smiled, and shoved Hilbert forward with one hand.

Hilbert was close enough to Bianca that one of them could have leaned forward and fallen on the other. Cautiously, Hilbert raised a hand, about to try and put it on Bianca's shoulder, Bianca clasped Hilbert's hand as it was still moving.

"You're not hurt in anyway?" Bianca asked. Hilbert almost felt like the bad guy as he heard the dejected tone of Bianca's voice. Hilbert shook his head.

"I-I'm fine, Bianca. Team Plasma didn't lay a finger on me. Never even scratched Servine or Pawniard either." He hoped his voice sounded reassuring. As Bianca made no reply, he was moved to say something else. "Um, I, uh… won't be so quick to leap at danger, if something like this happens again." Bianca raised her head and looked straight into Hilbert's eyes. She was good at putting a guilt trip on him. "L-look Bianca, I'm sorry I made you worry like this. Let's just… get moving to Castalia City, and nothing like this will happen again. I promise."

"I… I don't want you to tell me to stay put like that. We're traveling together, things like this might be frightening, but I want us to face them together." Bianca's voice was getting a little calmer, but she still looked hurt. She took Hilbert's hand into her own, he had protested this back in Nacrene Museum, but for now he was obligated to let her have his way for at least the next day or so. The two walked off.

Lenora laughed lightly. "Hilbert's easy prey for sensitive girls, I think." She turned to the two children that were still here. "Which one of you was the challenger, again?"

Cheren stepped forward. "This will be my second badge, after I already got Striaton's badge."

"We'll see if you get the badge or not." Lenora smiled, then tilted her head. "You know, we were in a hurry earlier, so I didn't get a good look at you then. Hmm…" Lenora leaned in, Cheren took an evasive step back.

"Maybe I married too early." Lenora said sweetly. Cheren flinched, and very uncomfortable sounding noises came from the side, Lenora turned. "Joking, Hawes, dear. Joking."


	9. The Big City

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

The thin branch shook slightly as the Bug type Sewaddle traversed across it. It stopped and opened its tiny mouth and started to nibble on a leaf, then took larger bites. It continued to eat for a time, until it finally finished the leaf and was left momentarily looking down at the ground.

It tilted its head curiously at the human boy and girl who were staring at it. It continued to sit on the branch for a while until, as though it sensed a sudden awkwardness, turned and left. It departed into a hole and pulled its leafy hood up over its head as it curled up to sleep.

Hilbert smiled. "I guess he got stage fright." He turned to Bianca, and briefly wondered if he was going to be chastised for 'bullying' the Sewaddle. Instead, she seemed to have been amused by the entire scenario. This trip through Pinwheel Forest was being done slowly, but the two seemed to be enjoying it.

The Pokemon native of the forest were watching them curiously, but made no hostile movements. Hilbert hoped there would be no incidents. After both a Gym battle and the episode with Team Plasma, he was feeling honestly drained. Still, he did want to get to Castelia and have his fight with Burgh before the day was over.

"Do you suppose Cheren and Hilda are out of the Gym yet?" Bianca randomly asked. Hilbert turned to her, thought for a moment, then answered in the affirmative. "Do you suppose they're in this forest, then?"

"Probably." Hilbert supposed. "I imagine they're interacting with the forest in their own way."

* * *

"You don't know how lucky you are, Hilda." Cheren said. Hilda was sitting on the ground, one hand up, nursing a new bruise on her cheek as a Pokemon was walking away from them. "If that Lilligant really thought of you as an enemy, it would have done a lot more then just slap you."

* * *

Hilbert looked ahead, noticing that the trees were thinning somewhat. They had to have been coming to the edge of the forest. He looked to Bianca, she was still following. They were about to leave… and they suddenly heard a rustle.

Hilbert turned, and watched as two Pokemon dashed out onto the paved road. One of them was chasing the other, and it seemed highly unlikely that either of them was playing. Hilbert took out his Pokedex and looked at the two.

"Petilil, and… Venipede." Hilbert said. He read the data on both Pokemon, and saw clearly that the Venipede was a predator, and Petilil was prey. Hilbert knew full well that some Pokemon were carnivorous, and this was perfectly natural, but he wasn't willing to stand and watch the Petilil become food.

"Excuse me, Bianca. I'm going to send the Venipede packing." He released Pawniard, who immediately jumped into the Venipede's face. The Venipede stopped, glaring at this intruder. The Petilil took off, running and getting behind Bianca's leg, peeking out to peer at what was happening.

The Venipede curled itself up, looking like it had transformed into a wheel, and started to roll toward Pawniard. Pawniard raised its arms and blocked the attack, not even skidding back. It forced the Venipede back with a simple motion, then took a step forward and slashed the Venipede once.

The Bug type shivered in pain for a moment, and then turned around, unwilling to engage an enemy that was capable of fighting back. It ducked into the shrubs, Pawniard loosened but remained on edge, but it seemed that the Venipede had truly fled.

Bianca looked down at the Petilil that was behind her leg and smiled in a comforting manner. "You're safe now." The Petilil looked like it was out of breath, and slowly stumbled out from behind Bianca's leg, before tripping and falling flat on its face.

It started to get up and saw that Pawniard had walked up to it, it quailed, but Pawniard instead just looked it over before turning to Hilbert and pointing at something on the Petilil's side.

"What are you trying to show me, Pawniard?" He followed Pawniard's blade. "Something catch your eye and-oh." He saw it. There was a hole in the Petilil's side, covered with some kind of purple liquid. He understood at once that the Venipede had probably already managed to poison the Petilil before Pawniard had stepped in.

Bianca stepped forward and picked the Petilil up. It looked exhausted, but still relatively healthy. "Should we bring it back to Nacrene? I don't want to leave it wandering around the forest if its poisoned."

"Castelia's Pokemon Center is probably closer, and I doubt it's in any life-threatening danger, so long as the predators stay away from it." He opened his Pokedex and examined some further data on Venipedes. "It won't die from the poison so long as its gets plenty of rest. We can just speed up the recovery by taking it to Castelia's Pokemon Center."

"Alright." She looked down at the Petilil, it still look frightened, but was calming down. "If Pawniard hadn't noticed the wound, we'd have just left her in the forest."

Hilbert frowned slightly at the thought, he looked at Pawniard, who looked uninterested in what was happening. He gave the Pokemon a pat on the head to make sure he knew that his observation was appreciated. "We're at the exit of the forest. Let's go."

* * *

Since the Petilil was not in mortal danger with the Venipede gone, they were able to take their time on Skyarrow Bridge. The two went to a rail and Bianca set the Petilil down, it seemed to have fallen asleep. Bianca looked over the rail and signaled for Hilbert to look at what she was seeing.

Hilbert tilted his head and looked across the waters that Skyarrow Bridge was built over. A wave of almost painted colors came from the sun, setting after such a long day. The orange was impressive, but Hilbert just turned to Bianca and shrugged. "Um… it's… pretty, Bianca."

"Pretty?" Bianca repeated, dismayed at how the image's quality was lost on Hilbert. "It's… it's… the Pokemon deserve to see this!" She reached for her Pokeballs and released Oshuwatt, Lillipup, Munna, and Pansear. The Pokemon stretched briefly, then followed their gesturing trainer to the sunset.

Their collective eyes were riveted as one for a long moment, then Oshuwatt turned and noticed the Petilil Bianca had a hand on the shoulder of. Waddling over to the sleeping Grass type, Oshuwatt boldly started to poke the Grass type.

"Stop that!" Bianca yelled when she noticed what Oshuwatt was doing. "She needs her rest." Despite Oshuwatt stopping the moment he was scolded, Petilil started to stir, opening her eyes and yawning, she still looked tired, but didn't seem to be in pain.

Bianca's other Pokemon started to approach the Petilil, who tried her best to retreat shyly despite there not being much space for her to go. Bianca lifted the Petilil up, and sighed. She looked at Hilbert and shook her head. "Why don't you let your Pokemon out, they might distract some of them."

Hilbert shrugged. In a moment Servine and Pawniard were standing on the thick rail with all the other Pokemon. Petilil saw them, and suddenly started to struggle in Bianca's arms.

"Whoa. What's wrong?" Petilil was suddenly fighting Bianca's grip, Bianca slowly put the Grass type down, and it moved over to Servine and Pawniard. It had retreated from Bianca's Pokemon, but it seemed to want to spend time with Hilbert's Pokemon.

_Interesting_. Hilbert mentally noted. Well, Pawniard had just saved the Petilil from a Venipede, and Servine was a fellow Grass type. He found himself smirking at how Pawniard seemed to immediately want to put distance between himself and this girl. Servine seemed to love being the subject of positive attention.

Petilil looked like it wanted to move closer, close enough to touch both of them, but suddenly she collapsed. Servine took a step forward and looked at it. Hilbert came up and rolled the Petilil slightly, just enough to look at the wound it had. "Still needs plenty more rest, even that activity was a bit too much."

Bianca picked it back up. The Petilil turned slightly, first looking sadly at Servine and Pawniard, then looking at the sunset, before closing its eyes again. Bianca looked at the Grass type, smiling sweetly, sadly, and wondered why it seemed to be so outgoing with Hilbert's Pokemon but not with hers.

"Let's get going." Hilbert said. "Skyarrow looks like a long bridge."

* * *

Long it was. Bianca felt her feet begin to ache as they traveled the length of the bridge. She did take the time to examine some of the views, such as a large, noble ship floating in the water beneath the arch of the bridge, or the majestic sight of the bridge that came whenever she turned to look back. Whenever she noticed these things, she always turned to Hilbert, and was annoyed at how he could never seem to appreciate what he was being privileged to see.

At last, they reached the end of the bridge. Bianca felt relief as she took the opportunity to sit down at the rest station between Skyarrow Bridge and Castelia City and relax her feet. Hilbert didn't seem to be at all bothered by the long walk, and continued to stand. The Petilil was still in Bianca's arms, Hilbert absent-mindedly wondered if it would be unhealthy to take the Petilil from a forest and into a large city. Hopefully the Center in such a place would be sanitary.

"Done resting?" Hilbert asked.

"A… few more minutes, please." Bianca breathed. Hilbert accepted Bianca's request and turned and looked at the large screen in the middle of the rest center. Text was scrolling across the screen… Hilbert read them and breathed a sigh. Castelia was apparently having incidents related to Pokemon theft. He wondered if this was Team Plasma again. By some strange coincidence he kept being around whenever these things happened.

He turned back to Bianca, who started to stand up. She smiled, nodding to confirm that she was ready to be walking again. Hilbert made no mention to what he had just read and motioned to the door leading into Castelia proper.

The first thing Hilbert did was look up. Striaton had been huge, without a doubt. Yet this was something completely different. Skyscrapers, the origin of the name plainly obvious, rose up to the clouds, and busy people were moving everywhere. Large electronic signs were on the side of buildings, identifying what corporation owned each individual building. Everything about the city was moving purposefully, with no time to get sidetracked. He turned to Bianca, who was far more obviously intrigued by what she was seeing. Hilbert hoped that her behavior wouldn't get them both labeled as gawking country bumpkins.

They continued on, their first objective was finding the Pokemon Center. Unfortunately, they had no manner of guide to help them, and what maps were present were utterly unhelpful. They would have little aid in finding the Center.

Hilbert felt himself growing annoyed, were they just to wander around aimlessly until they found the Center? Considering the size of this city, walking up and down the streets looking for the Center could take hours, especially if they started in the wrong area of the city.

"Better be prepared for a lot of walking." Hilbert cautioned to the girl who had just finished resting from a too long walk. "It seems that we'll have to move and look until we find the Center."

Hilbert imagined, and he hoped Bianca was sharing the thought, that they were making good progress as they moved. Even so, given the size of Castelia City, they had barely started, Hilbert sighed and continued moving. Something would eventually turn up for the better. They walked a bit further, and Hilbert saw a sign, with a bit of hope sparking in him he moved a little faster to reach and read it. His head sunk slightly as he realized what it was, directions to the Pokemon Gym.

He perked up at the thought, if Burgh was around, he could just ask him where the Center might be. He and Bianca both began to move with a new confidence, and in moments they spotted the Gym.

Bianca made a sound, Hilbert turned and noticed that something else had caught the girl's eyes. "Bianca, we have a reason to be going to the Gym now."

"I know, Hilbert, but can I check out this store while you talk to Burgh? I'll just be a Xtransceiver call away."

Hilbert looked at her for a moment, then smiled. "Sure. I'll be back in a second. I'll call you with the Xtransceiver if I can't find you. Perhaps you should let me have the Petilil, so he knows what I need to get to the Center for."

Bianca smiled a thanks, handing the Grass type to Hilbert and then went into a nearby store. Hilbert looked down at the Petilil, she didn't seem to mind the change of arms to be held in, and glanced at Hilbert's Pokeballs. "Um, sorry, it'll be a little while before you can see those two."

Bianca, confident that the Petilil would be safe with Hilbert, started to look around the contents of whatever clothing store she had wandered into. She looked at the city clothes, completely different from what she wore. Everything seemed rich and exotic, though Hilbert was holding all of their money. She frowned, she'd have to ask him after they got the Petilil to the Center, and then-

"What is this?" A foreign female voice spoke, Bianca turned, seeing a girl near her age. Bianca wasn't sure what the girl was talking about, and stood speechless for a moment. The girl, quite a pretty girl dressed in glamorous clothes, was clearly examining Bianca specifically.

"Are they letting penniless stooges into the store now?" She words came with bile, Bianca took a step back from the tone. "Where did you buy that outfit? This store would never carry anything so hideous looking."

"W-" Bianca looked down at her attire. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

"A lot." Were the first words. "Though what's wearing them is probably worse."

Bianca almost felt herself shatter. "Why would you say that?"

"Just being truthful." The girl raised her chin. "All the work in the world couldn't help your appearance, but let me go point by point with you."

* * *

"The Pokemon Center?" Burgh tilted his head, by some luck he had been standing right outside the Gym, and Hilbert wasn't forced to enter. Burgh smiled and offered some easy to follow instructions, apparently the Center was only a ten minute walk. Though if Hilbert and Bianca had continued to move in the direction they had been moving, they probably would have been walking away from the Center for the next hour.

"Good thing you found me, because I was about to take off." Burgh's face suddenly went serious. "I need to deal with some serious matters. Have you heard about Pokemon thieves in Castelia?"

Hilbert nodded. Burgh sighed. "Members of Team Plasma are lurking in the streets. Gym challenges will have to be postponed until we can root out where they're based." He started to move, but then stopped to turn and smile at Hilbert. "Shouldn't even take me a few hours, Plasma is a lot clumsier then they think they are. I should be able to accept a challenge tonight."

"Alright." Hilbert accepted the story. "I need to get back to Bianca now."

He turned and looked back to the store and… Bianca was outside it, sitting on a bench. Hadn't she wanted to check out the store? Hilbert sincerely doubted that Bianca would be done looking around that quickly. He moved over, Bianca kept her head down and didn't notice Hilbert's approach.

She was startled at a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Hilbert. Her face was… puffy. To Hilbert it looked like she was ready to start crying, the sight pierced Hilbert, who never wanted his friends, especially the sensitive Bianca, to be bothered like this. He sat down beside her, the Petilil in his lap, and spoke to his friend.

"Bianca, what happened?"

"T-t-there was this g-girl, and s-she came and-"

"Bianca." Hilbert stopped her. "Try that a little slower, it's hard to follow when you stutter like that."

Bianca swallowed, then started again, she told Hilbert everything that happened, Hilbert listened with an understanding face. As Bianca finished, she bowed her head, feeling… defeated. She didn't notice Hilbert suddenly scoot closer to her.

He clasped his friend's shoulder. "Bianca, I want you to listen to me." He turned to her. "You don't need to let people like that get to you. The opinions of people who act so hateful, and think they're so much better then others, really aren't worth thinking about."

"B-but, what if she was right? What if I'm really-"

"Bianca." He sighed, then suddenly started to pull her, Bianca found her cheek was now pushing onto Hilbert's chest. "You know as well as I do that that girl was wrong. You are _not_ ugly, and there isn't anything wrong about how you're dressed. You are the exact opposite of what she called you, and you know it. I know you put her to shame in all the categories she insulted you in."

The girl paused as the words sunk in. She wondered if Hilbert realized that he had just indirectly said that Bianca was the most attractive girl he had ever seen. Heat began to rise on her face, but then she realized that Hilbert was just moving to console her. Still, it was a nice, if embarrassing, thought, to think that Hilbert would think of her as beautiful.

His arm was around her shoulder, Bianca, on impulse, put one of her arms around Hilbert and held him for a long moment. She didn't notice Hilbert growing uncomfortable with Bianca returning the gesture.

"Feel… better?" Hilbert asked. Bianca raised her head from Hilbert's chest and nodded, then smiled. "Alright. I think it's time to get this little thing to the Center."

* * *

They arrived at the Center easily enough, Petilil was in Bianca's arms again. They were about to go in, when Hilbert heard a loud noise. He turned and looked up, seeing a large electronic sign attached to a building, it was showing an advertisement for some battle tournament.

"Um, Hilbert?" Bianca asked, looking at her friend. "Um, the Center?"

"Y-yeah, I'll be right behind you. Don't worry." He was still staring at the sign, Bianca sighed and smiled.

"You're so funny sometimes. I'll be right back." Still smiling, she entered the Center with the Petilil. Hilbert continued to stare at the sign, enraptured by footage of a Pokemon battle between two pro trainers in ways that the sunset that Bianca loved could never accomplish.

Then, someone tapped him on the shoulder. "You are the one who's interfered with us three times, aren't you?"

The words triggered a nameless feeling in Hilbert's gut. He turned, and saw a member of Team Plasma standing behind him. The next thing he saw was the Grunt raise a clenched fist, and then Hilbert's world went dark.

* * *

**Another variation from the game, where Hilbert's the one who gets his Pokemon stolen.**

**Please review.**


	10. Legends

**This updates are taking too long. Hmm.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"All better now." The nurse said, affirming that the procedure to heal the Petilil was over. The Venipede poison had been safely taken out, and the little thing was perfectly healthy again. The nurse politely handed the Grass type back to Bianca, the Petilil had apparently fallen asleep as the poison was removed from its insides. It slept peacefully in Bianca's arms… Bianca wondered what it was dreaming about. Maybe Hilbert's Pokemon, it was very fond of those two for some reason.

According to the nurse, the poison was nothing the Petilil's Immune System couldn't handle, but something else could have easily killed the Grass type while it was recovering. Just nodding a thanks on behalf of the Petilil, Bianca turned and started for the doors of the Pokemon Center. Hilbert should still be waiting outside, she looked at the Petilil and promised the sleeping thing some time with Hilbert's Pokemon.

As she walked out, she raised her head up to look at the large TV that had held Hilbert's undivided attention, it was showing something else right now, some drivel that Hilbert would have never been interested in. Bianca looked around, and started to grow concerned as Hilbert was nowhere in sight. He couldn't have… he wouldn't have just left her. Perhaps he had absentmindedly wandered off when something else caught his eye.

She started to walk, and before she could even start to truly worry, she saw him. She saw him, lying on the ground near an alley. There were people passing, none of them sparing Hilbert a second look. She felt her chest clutching as she ran over to him.

"Hilbert! Hilbert!"

The boy groaned, starting to push himself up, he looked to Bianca, who was now on her knees beside him. Bianca's eyes widened at the sight of a large bruise on Hilbert's face. He looked like he had been unconscious for just a moment.

"Hilbert, what happened?" Bianca asked, sharp pangs of fear in her voice, up till now she didn't thing Castelia City could have ended up becoming a dangerous place. She glanced around, seeing the city in a new, unfeeling light. Hilbert shook his head as he stood up and leaned against the wall.

The first thing he did was move his hands to his belt, and then a look of horror struck his face. "My… Pokeballs…" He looked down, miserably, as he remembered being attacked and that Servine and Pawniard had been stolen. "T-Team Plasma… attacked me."

"Team Plas- oh no." Bianca felt a shiver of fear suddenly run down her spine as Hilbert described what had happened. "Oh no, I… I knew a run in with Team Plasma would end like this sooner or later. Your Servine and Pawniard…" Bianca's voice broke, then died down. Her stomach was wrenching, but that was nothing compared to the expression on Hilbert's face. In all the years Bianca knew him, she had never seen him wear such a miserable expression.

A thought struck Bianca. Daring, and perhaps uncharacteristic, but she wanted to help Hilbert, somehow. She put a hand on Hilbert's shoulder. "Hilbert, I… I'll find your Pokemon. I'll get them back to you. I promise you."

Hilbert looked at her, still wearing his pathetic expression, and nodded slowly. Bianca took a deep breath, not knowing what the first thing she should do was. Perhaps she could wander the streets for Team Plasma agents, or call for Servine and Pawniard, or-

"Let's… head to the Gym." Hilbert said in an uncharacteristically halting voice. "Burgh might… have a lead." Bianca looked at Hilbert, seeing him so utterly crushed was tearing her to pieces. She _had_ to find Servine and Pawniard.

"The Gym door is locked." Bianca sighed. Burgh was probably looking for Team Plasma right now. Then they would probably have to track Burgh down somewhere in Castelia, somewhere in the large, sprawling city of Castelia. He had to know that Hilbert had lost his Pokemon to whatever Plasma agents were lurking in Castelia.

* * *

There was the sound of feet on the road, and then someone spoke to the two. "Are you two challengers?" Hilbert and Bianca turned to two girls who were standing nearby. Hilbert didn't get a good look at them, his head still tilted down.

"We need to talk to Burgh." Hilbert mumbled, he hoped that they heard and he wouldn't have had to repeat himself.

"He's in the middle of an investigation right now and-" One girl's voice suddenly stopped. "Wait, Hilbert?"

Hilbert blinked, then looked up. It took a moment, but he recognized both of the girls who had walked up to him and Bianca. "S-Shauntal, and… Caitlin?" He remembered the author girl, and the other one, with the blown out of proportion ego, he had met both of them in Nacrene.

Shauntal just looked surprised to see Hilbert again. Then confusion swept over her. "Hilbert, did something happen? You look… devastated." She stepped forward, Hilbert leaned back in surprise at Shauntal closing the gap between them, but didn't protest.

"What happened? Is it something I can help with?"

Hilbert looked away uncomfortably. "Team Plasma… stole both of my Pokemon." His hands clenched, then unclenched. "They targeted me specifically… after I broke up some of their more recent operations."

Caitlin frowned. "Sticking your nose into Team Plasma's business? You were effectively asking for this to happen. You should leave Team Plasma for those capable of fighting the syndicate. Something I doubt you'll ever be."

Shauntal motioned for Caitlin to quiet down, then focused entirely on Hilbert. She took a deep sigh. "Caitlin and I can help you. We can find your Pokemon."

"I… I don't want you putting yourself in danger like that." Hilbert would have never expected an offer like that from Shauntal, but his first reflex was to keep her out of danger. "Please, you should just-"

"I can help." Shauntal affirmed. "Please, Hilbert. I still haven't done enough to repay you for finding my book. And it's part of my job to do things like this."

Hilbert raised an eyebrow. "Your… job? You're just an author, aren't you?"

"Ah-" Shauntal looked to the side. "I, um, my… last profession, a-anyway, I can help you, if you'll allow me."

Judging by her expression, Hilbert was certain Shauntal would stop if he adamantly refused. And that would be the sensible thing to do, he couldn't just happily have her put herself into danger, no matter how capable she might have been. Yet, that expression in her eyes made it hard to take a firm stance against her helping. "If… you really think you can help, please." He clenched his eyes shut.

"Don't worry about my safety." Shauntal quietly assured. "And I think I know exactly who to talk to." The girl pulled a Xtransceiver out and made a call. Hilbert found himself staring, he didn't think of Shauntal as the sort of girl who had connections. Then again, what did he know about Shauntal, anyway? All he knew was that she was an author. She spoke for a moment, then put the Xtransceiver away. "Burgh is at Prime Pier, and he has a few leads on where Team Plasma might be."

Hilbert looked at Bianca, and wondered if the same thoughts was running through her head, primarily the question as to why Shauntal had Burgh's number handy. Shauntal looked at Caitlin, who looked annoyed at what they had suddenly gotten involved in, but nodded her agreement, however reluctant, to go along with it.

"Let's get going, then." Hilbert said, he turned to look one way, then the other. "Which way leads to the pier?"

Caitlin narrowed her eyes in exasperation. "Must your hand be held as well, little trainer?"

* * *

Burgh pursed his lips. "You're sure about that? That's what Drayden's uncovered?"

A little girl with dark skin was across from Burgh, her name was Iris. She looked very foreign to Unova, but here she was, talking to Burgh as though they had known each other for quite some time. She nodded at Burgh. "It's what Grandpa found out. Members of Team Plasma have been going in and out of a building on Route 17. There's not a whole lot of people visiting, but they keep coming back consistently. Grandpa hasn't actually been able to investigate the building itself, though."

Burgh nodded. A safe house, perhaps, for the Pokemon they stole? Or something else? It certainly was worth investigating, and Burgh was a lot closer then Drayden was. Of course, the Striaton Gym Leaders were the closest, but they never responded to the other Gym Leaders for some reason.

Burgh was ready to move on to the next thing Iris was ready to report, but then turned to expected company. "Shauntal and Caitlin." He glanced at the two, everyone in his line of work was well aware of these two. "Along with Hilbert and Bianca. I heard about what happened to you, Hilbert."

Hilbert grunted to acknowledge Burgh. Iris poked Burgh and asked what was happening. "Team Plasma seems to be infesting Castelia. This is just the next in a series of kidnapped Pokemon."

"What?" Iris' eyes widened in shock.

"What Team Plasma does." Hilbert mumbled out. "They steal Pokemon, under the claim that they're 'saving' and 'liberating' them." He turned away. "Servine and Pawniard, I couldn't stand going on without those two." He contemplated Team Plasma's cause, and now that he had experienced it firsthand, he was starting to understand what Plasma was leaving in its wake. The bitter sense of loss and hopelessness that came when one's Pokemon were taken like this for the sake of Team Plasma's flawed logic.

"B-but, you can't just take other people's Pokemon!" Iris suddenly yelled. "Pokemon and people coexist from each other. They support and help each other, day in and day out."

Hilbert sighed. "Tell that to the people who think they know better then everyone else."

Burgh clasped Hilbert's shoulder. "We will get your Pokemon back, Hilbert. You deserve them, for all the reasons Iris just said."

Hilbert looked around, at Burgh, Iris, Shauntal and Caitlin, and finally Bianca. He was a little shocked at how many people were running to his aid when he was in trouble. He should be thanking them, but maybe after Servine and Pawniard were found. Despite the hopes he had, he still felt crushed by the theft. He turned, looking in the direction of the city. To his surprise, there was a member of Team Plasma standing right there.

"Ah-" the Grunt stepped back apprehensively as everyone turned one by one to him. "Thought that finding the guy I robbed would let me find another trainer, not an army."

Bianca stepped forward. Hilbert watched her cautiously, half-suspecting that Bianca would rush forward and try to slug the Grunt on his behalf. "Return Servine and Pawniard! I don't like seeing Hilbert so… sad."

"Ha! Like the sadness he put his Pokemon through? I'm giving them a path to true happiness."

Burgh shook his head. "Did you ever consider actually asking the Pokemon how they feel, rather then just deciding for them? They might surprise you with their answers."

"I wasn't raised to do everything my neighbors tell me to do." The Plasma Grunt stated with a smug and defiant tone. Shauntal looked at the man, and then something occurred to her.

"Did you just say that Plasma's hideout is right beside the Gym?"

The agent of Plasma grunted, his face revealed shock, and then drifted to fear. "Er, u-um, away! Retreat!" Spinning on his foot, he turned and fled.

Bianca turned to Hilbert. "We now know where they are. You'll have your reunion in just minutes!" She looked enthusiastic, and Hilbert appreciated the effort to cheer him up, but all he could do was make a weak, and fake, smirk.

"It's somewhere around the Gym." Burgh said, he looked at everyone present. "Hilbert's Pokemon are waiting, and we can nip Team Plasma's Castelia operations in the bud at the same time."

Caitlin shook her head. "Let's go with all haste, then. I want to put this absurd errand behind me with all speed." The girl started to move. Hilbert felt his hackles being raised at Caitlin's word and tone, and turned to Shauntal, the nice girl who seemed to hang out with Caitlin.

"Is she always…?"

Shauntal smiled. "She's slow to warm up to people. In a sense, she's like a novel that starts off hard to understand, but becomes hard to part with a few chapters in."

Hilbert was silent for a moment, then spoke. "I have no idea what that analogy was supposed to mean. Let's just find the hideout."

* * *

"Right across from my Gym." Burgh shook his head. Team Plasma had chosen to hide in plain sight, and he hadn't seen them. He was bitter at himself for a moment, but prepared himself for what would be inside the building. "Hilbert, this could be dangerous. If you think that-"

"_No one_, is going to make me sit out on saving Servine and Pawniard." Hilbert said, his tone was almost threatening. Burgh was taken aback, but wasn't entirely surprised, he might have reacted similarly if someone told him to let others handle the rescue of his Pokemon. Burgh nodded, then led everyone inside.

The first thing that Hilbert saw was a man dressed ornately, with one eye covered by an eyepiece. The man looked at the crowd that had entered into the building, scanning them carefully. Hilbert was certain that he had seen this man before… and then it hit him.

"Ghetsis." Hilbert recognized. He had first seen the man in Accumula, that was the first time he had encountered Team Plasma. Now he understood what the organization was really like, and wasn't going to bother thinking about whatever flowery speech Ghetsis might make.

For a moment, Ghetsis looked straight at Hilbert, and just like in Accumula, Hilbert felt discomforted by their eyes meeting. There was a shift in Ghetsis' face, a look that made it seem like he was dismissing Hilbert, and he turned to another.

"Gym Leader, Burgh." Ghetsis acknowledged the one who seemed to lead those who had appeared. "So you've found this place. Was it your wits that revealed our hideout, or the loose tongue of a failed peon?"

"Are you one of the Plasma Sages?" Burgh asked. "I wouldn't have thought someone called a 'sage' would stoop to stealing whatever he desired."

"You mean the Pokemon? That is for my gratification, it is for the well-being of the creatures. No soul with a hint of warmth would force them to wear the leash and feel the lash. What Team Plasma does is kindness."

"You're wrong!" Iris suddenly yelled. "Pokemon and humans have lived together for years, and we're what we are because we've always supported each other. If we're separated, both humans and Pokemon will only suffer for it."

Ghetsis turned to the dark skinned girl. "You echo another's words, child. And, as an echo, it lacks strength. Have you seen proof of what you're saying, or do you just mindlessly parrot what others have told you?"

"I…" Iris' voice trailed off, she stood firm by her argument, but didn't seem to know how to counter Ghetsis' words.

"And… the rest of you? Do you simply choose to never question what has always been? Perhaps Team Plasma's ways, though 'evil' to you, are correcting a problem that has lasted since before man began to record his history."

Caitlin closed her eyes. "Foolishness. Did they not teach the meaning of 'logic' in your school? There is nothing virtuous about how Plasma has been acting."

"Change can be painful." Ghetsis admitted. "But a price must be paid, and Pokemon must be allowed to become pure again. Only once everything Plasma has planned has come to fruition can I-" Ghetsis blinked, paused, then shook his head. He mentally chided himself for speaking too much on a certain point. "Plasma has undertaken the mission to correct one of the most fundamental flaws of this world. What could be more logical then removing the problems of the world?"

Shauntal stepped forward. "Taking Pokemon is like ripping out everything in a novel. Humans can never be what they're supposed to be if you steal their Pokemon. How can you claim anything is virtuous if it leaves such brokenness behind it?"

"Is it wrong to take away the crutch?" Ghetsis asked. "The greatest strength comes from self-reliance. Pokemon, and even humans, can only grow to their full potential by taking away what they had previously always depended on, and forcing them to stand by themselves. The merits of Plasma's actions will only take clear shape decades from now, it is not surprising that myopic people cannot see that."

"Just give Hilbert his Pokemon back!" Bianca suddenly snapped. Ghetsis turned to the girl. "I won't let my friend break like this. Team Plasma couldn't be doing what's right, if it makes people so sad." She turned to Hilbert, he had a melancholy look in his eyes, and was staring straight at Ghetsis.

Another man suddenly entered the room. Dressed in regal red, he walked up beside Ghetsis. "I had presumed that dealing with the trainer who had interfered time and again in our operations would be a simple endeavor. I had not anticipated how many would leap to his defense and aid. Nor did I think this operation would have lead to the discovery of this base.

The man, Plasma Sage Bronius, shook his head. "A woeful miscalculation. Yet I have news for you, Sage Ghetsis." He learned toward the man and whispered something into his ear. Ghetsis listened, then smiled icily.

"You may have your Pokemon back." Ghetsis said, his mood seemingly lightened by whatever Bronius had just told him. "A Servine and a Pawniard, was it? But know that taking these Pokemon back is only a delaying. Plasma's ambitions will still be carried out, and you will be deprived of them again in due time."

Bronius walked forward, revealing two Pokeballs. He handed them to Hilbert.

"Thank… you." Hilbert said slowly, as he took the Pokeballs.

"Why are you thanking him?" Iris demanded. "He's the one who ordered your Pokemon to be stolen?"

"I just…" Hilbert opened both of his Pokeballs, revealing Servine and Pawniard, no different then he remembered them. He smiled easily as the two things looked around, seemingly oblivious to everything that had happened. "I thought I had lost them, having them back feels so…" His voice trailed off, but Bianca was happy that Hilbert looked so put at ease.

"An amusing sight, but that will change." Ghetsis said slowly. "Are you all familiar with the legend of Unova's founding?"

"I am." Iris confirmed.

"Then you know the story. A hero, with a white Dragon Pokemon at his side, desired to create a world, a true world, and put an end to the warring people. The White Dragon shared its timeless knowledge with the hero, and bared fang against all opposition. In the end, the hearts of the warrior humans were united, and the nation of Unova was founded." Ghetsis smiled. "Plasma shall find this dragon, and unite the people's hearts under our King for our noble goal."

Burgh shook his head. "Castelia alone is comprised of so many different people with so many different values and beliefs. Do you really think Plasma's King can offer the one solution that will unite all of their hearts as one? There's only one thing they have in common, they love their time with Pokemon." Burgh's eyes shifted. "Let me tell you something, Ghetsis. I was in the crowd you addressed in Accumula. Your words made me stop and think, and I came to a conclusion. I made a vow to live even stronger by my Pokemon. We need each other to grow. And that is the only valid conclusion I feel a person can come to if they listen to you."

Ghetsis chuckled. "Intelligence. How… refreshing. It is such a change of pace to find people like you, Castelia Gym Leader. But I've not the time anymore. I have something I must see to."

Bronius looked troubled momentarily. "Ghetsis, what about-"

"Nevermind this hideout, it's expendable. And you informed me that the experiment has finally born fruit. A thousand upon a thousand of such bases can be set to flame, and it won't hurt us, not if we have… _that_. A valuable asset in our journey to find the white Dragon."

"What are you talking about?" Hilbert asked.

Ghetsis eyed Hilbert emotionlessly. "Patience, child. In time, perhaps we will seek you out. Our King… has taken an interest in you." He and Bronius started to move, no one made an effort to stop them. In time, they had left the building.

Burgh sighed. "Team Plasma… I hate to admit it, but their philosophy is going to appeal to a lot of people. I can even see a valid point hidden under all of the fanaticism. Anyway…" He turned to Hilbert. "You have your Pokemon back."

Servine and Pawniard looked on as they became the center of attention. Servine, normally thick with pride, walked forward and inclined his head toward those who had aided in the rescue.

"I suspect you're being treated to a rare honor." Hilbert chuckled as Servine bowed his head. Bianca looked almost embarrassed at the display, as did everyone else, though Caitlin shook her head and looked like she was offended that a bowed head was something she would have to earn.

"They're back, Petilil." Bianca said. For the investigation, she had put the Grass type into a Pokeball for its own safety. Now it was out, awake, and it rushed right over to Servine and Pawniard, nearly tackling Pawniard in her happiness.

Pawniard looked annoyed, but didn't shove the Grass type away, but didn't return the Petilil's somewhat odd idea of an embrace either.

Shauntal looked at the entire scene and took a piece of paper out. She jotted down a rough idea she could refine for a novel. _The capable boy, when put into a bad position and rendered helpless, is saved by the girl he had always known and- _She paused and looked at Hilbert and Bianca. Something compelled her to change her rough idea. She erased the sentence and started anew. _The capable boy, when in danger, is aided by the bookwormy girl he had shown kindness to just a few days prior._

She put the paper away. Caitlin turned to Shauntal, and was able to tell at a glance that her friend was embarrassed about something. She decided against asking, but grew agitated at the instinctual realization that Hilbert and Bianca were the source of Shauntal's fluster.

Hilbert smirked, then heard a noise. An odd sound, like… singing? He turned to the doors, able to hear it more clearly the more he focused on it. "Does anyone else hear that?"

Bianca put a hand to her ear, then tilted slightly to the side, as if sound was caressing her. "It sounds like a song. Does everyone hear it?"

"I hear it, too." Shauntal said. Servine and Pawniard turned to the sound, and Servine suddenly left the building.

"No, Servine! I am _not_ risking losing you again!" Hilbert started to chase his starter. Pawniard, Petilil, Bianca, and even Shauntal and Caitlin followed after them. Burgh looked on and smiled.

"I'll be waiting for the Gym Challenge." He turned to the one person still with him. "And you'd better get back to Opelucid City, Iris. You're only a few days away from being recognized as a Gym Leader yourself."

* * *

Servine stood at the pier, watching something on the edge as it made an oddly… soothing, noise. Hilbert eventually came up behind it. "Please, don't run off like that Servine. What caught your attention anyw-oh." He looked at what Servine was looking at. There was something, he thought it was a little girl at first, but then realized it was a Pokemon.

Caitlin appeared nearby, annoyed at having to chase Shauntal, and even more annoyed at how Shauntal was obviously growing fond of Hilbert and Bianca. She looked at what Hilbert saw, and her jaw dropped. "You… I doubt you peasants understand how rare that Pokemon is."

Hilbert blinked, finding it somehow hard to think as he listened to the calmingly, peaceful, but somehow melancholic song he was hearing. Slowly he took his Pokedex out and examined the data.

"Melo…etta?" He asked aloud. The Pokemon on the pier didn't notice her audience, and continued to sing. Her audience stood, focusing entirely on her song. Meloetta's eyes were closed as she sang to the ocean water, her voice producing sounds that perhaps not even the most talented human singer could match. The slow waves of the ocean seemed to provide the perfect chorus for the song Meloetta was singing.

Shauntal smiled. She could write a story based on a song, but she had to write it an idea down immediately, or risk forgetting it. She tried to move her hand, but found that it was apparently stuck on something. She looked down, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw her fingers intertwined with Hilbert's. She didn't realize this had happened, and it was clearly she that was holding his hand firmly, not the other way around.

She let go of Hilbert immediately, feeling her face starting to burn. She had to have been the one to initiate that, but couldn't recall reaching for Hilbert at all. Thoughts of stories she could write vanished from her head. She tried to look only at Meloetta, trying to use the music to chase any other thought out of her head.

Meloetta, after a time, finished her song and turned. She smiled sweetly at the audience she hadn't realized she had. She lifted up and started to float over to them, and focused her eyes on Hilbert specifically.

Meloetta cocked her head, then reached out and gently poked Hilbert's nose, chuckling. The singing Pokemon turned to the others and started to hum a wordless tune, then slowly, slowly, started to drift away toward the ocean.

"I… I've never had the honor of listening to one of Meloetta's performances." Caitlin said, not having her characteristic arrogant tone as she spoke the words. Her hands were over her chest, and her heart must have been bursting while her soul was melting. She turned to everyone else present, doubting that Hilbert and Bianca understood just how privileged they were to hear Meloetta's song. She turned to Shauntal, who seemed distracted, and her face was red for whatever reason. She grabbed Shauntal's shoulder, suggesting that they leave. To her mild surprise, Shauntal seemed suddenly compelled to leave without saying goodbye to the two peasants.

* * *

"Dudley." Ghetsis addressed the scientist. Ghetsis was resourceful, and not even an hour after his encounter with Burgh in Castelia City, he had arrived at the P2 Laboratory. "You told Bronius that all is ready?"

Dudley smiled. "Yes, of course. It is ready, requiring only the power to start its perpetual energy core. Power we already have. I would do all in my power to aid the man who allows me to conduct my research." Dudley's face suddenly soured. "Did you hear what the King said when I proposed this? He said that my research was 'vile'! That I was desecrating the Pokemon's purity! Could he not see the wonders of my Fossil Revival technique!? Why, my scientific mastery shall give this Pokemon a new life, and a new purpose. I am pleased that present company better understands what my research can offer."

Ghetsis looked at Dudley for a long second, then turned away. The scientist was eccentric, yes, but he was completely under Ghetsis' control. This was how he operated. Control one person, then a group of people, a culture, a civilization, a nation, eventually even the world could be controlled as long as one was wise, cunning, and patiently worked one's way up. And so, Ghetsis enjoyed seeing Dudley, a person under his control, begin to reveal the project he was pleased to announce was complete. A project that was unknown to the majority of Team Plasma, much of the organization would have balked at what was happening here.

"I will drain all the power in the P2 Laboratory, it shall be enough to power up the project." He started flipping switches, and adjusting valves. Ghetsis only had a superficial understanding of what Dudley was doing, and simply put his faith in the belief that Dudley knew what he was doing.

Finally, chords that were strewn all around the room started to light up as power coursed through them. The power funneled into a strange object. The object looked like a Pokemon, and yet, looked so completely… unnatural, and twisted. Ghetsis did not care, it was not supposed to look appealing, it was supposed to be useful.

"And this is the final touch." Dudley said, flipping some kind of master lever. The lights in the lab started to dim, and the power started to surge vigorously into whatever seemed to sit hunched down.

"Behold!" Dudley announced gleefully as the lights went out entirely. "Behold the fruits of Experiment: Genesect!"

The lights were out now, and all Ghetsis could hear was the grinding noise as machinery started to move with a life of its own. All Ghetsis could see… was a pair of glowing eyes.

* * *

**Well, going somewhere with the plot. I've plans for Meloetta and Genesect.**

**Please review.**


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